Snapshot
by CrAzY-SiLLy-Me
Summary: AUOOC 'Smile for me' that was what he would always tell her whenever she was sad or crying. And for that, he always took her picture whenever she does smile for him, because that always meant a picture perfect to him. SasuSaku
1. I missed you

_A/N: I want to take a break from action scenes and Yakuza II has a lot of them so I had this one up first. Sasuke is OOC here, mainly because it would suit him best in this story and the role that he will play. Most of the time, all the characters may reach the OOC point just to fit them in the story. **Read the prologue first! FOR PINOYS/PINAYS: **If you have the song "Makita kang muli" by sugarfree, play it. It so suits their relationship.**  
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_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the show's characters. Other things that are new to you are mine, including the plot. Do not copy my fic, even if you use it in a different category, it's still plagiarism. If, however, you want to, let me know or at least give credit if you do get inspired by this fic. Like my Yakuza, I gave Nadyell the credit for the fic.

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**Snapshot**

_Click!_

He looked at the LCD screen of the digital camera (digicam) and was satisfied with the random shot he took: a couple of kids running towards the ice cream booth. "Picture of kids, check, next is…" he took out a piece of paper and began to walk around the area, reading his next candid shot assignment. "A picture of young adults." He glanced around, his onyx eyes turned from left to right, looking for people who'll go well with his shot.

Uchiha Sasuke, a man in the age of twenty-four, once had a relationship, yet due to unknown circumstances and a few suspicious reasons why, his girl broke up with him. Right now, he's single yet unavailable. His friends had given him a little push to move on, yet he hasn't actually accepted the fact that he and his girl are through.

_Takes a random shot of an old couple and smiles slightly._

He was forced by his friends to attend blind dates they set up for him, yet it only resulted to the girls' hearts being broken, if not, aching, for he only accepts them as friends or acquaintances, nothing more, nothing less. His heart still belongs to his ex, and nothing can change that. He swore to God, and to her, including himself, that he would love no one but her, until the one meant for him were to come.

_Sees teenagers talking and having fun and takes a candid shot of them._

To sum it all up, he's single, a pro at taking pictures, candid shots or not, and still loves his ex, wherever she is now or whatever she is doing. _"One more shot." _He thought, seeing one of his friends, Ten-Ten, talking to someone. Shrugging and in the mood for a little joke, knowing how much Ten-Ten hates getting her picture taken without her knowing, he positioned the camera and took a good shot of her and the girl she's talking too.

Finally done with the task his boss had given him, he checked all the pictures and stopped at Ten-Ten's. He narrowed his eyes and zoomed on the girl his friend was talking to, only to have his eyes wide and mind run wild. _"N-No way..!" _he raised his head and searched for where the bun-head girl was. His eyes stopped and stayed glued on his friend's companion, eyes dilating as he saw her face, her hair, and most of all, her all too familiar smile. "S-Sak..?"

Hearing her name, nickname, which was used only by one boy she knew very well, her eyes averted towards where the voice came from and she was startled and opened her mouth, her voice shaky as she had called out the name she hasn't said for ten years: "S-Suke..?"

* * *

_**Chapter 1: I missed you**_

Blinking, Ten-Ten looked at her then to where she was looking at. She panicked and laughed nervously, flinging her arms around like a chicken that lost its head. "S-Sasuke! What a pleasant surprise! I didn't know you were assigned here!" she grinned sheepishly. _"Oh shit! This is not good! Code red! Code red! Uh… what's code red again?"_

Sasuke shook his head and turned to Ten-Ten. "I'm just filling in for Kiba. He's got a fever and Kakashi assigned me to take over. I was the only one available." He explained and kept his digicam back inside its case, securing it on his black belt around his dark blue denim pants. He took out the list once more and re-checked everything to see if he missed any shots. "Well, my work here is done, better get these pics uploaded and sent." He said, crumpling the paper and tossing it to a nearby bin without looking, causing Sak to stare at him in awe.

"Oh, too bad." Ten-Ten murmured and grinned, making Sasuke cock a brow at her. She approached the raven haired adult and clasped her hands together in front of her chest. "I'll upload them for you!"

"No thanks." He said, pocketing his hands, earning a slight smile from the other girl. Ten-Ten glared at him and hissed softly so only they could hear. "Uchiha, your girl, I mean, ex is here, I'm giving you a chance to talk to her and hopefully make up with her! I know as much as you do that you want to talk to her so badly since you really, really miss her! Well pal, here's your chance, don't screw it!" and without him knowing, she sneakily took his camera and hid it behind her back, her glare not fading until she straightened herself up and smiled at the other girl. "Well Sakura, I'll leave you two now, I still need to meet up with Neji." She grinned and waved at them, running as far away from the Uchiha as possible. Knowing him, he'll figure out she had "borrowed" his camera without his knowing.

Starring at where Ten-Ten once was, Sasuke took out his right hand from his pocket and felt around for his cam. Not feeling it, he looked down, seeing his waist with no digicam, not even the case. "Damn, stupid, annoying, crazy, weapon-addicted girl!" he muttered under his breath, earning a giggle from his ex.

"Ten-Ten hasn't changed one bit, huh Sasuke?"

"Aa." He said, eyes half-closed and head lowered. _"'Sasuke' huh?" _he shrugged the thought of and looked at her, observing how much she has changed, only to find a few minor modifications. She still had her long pink hair; her ears had silver dangling earrings, a small blue gem at the end of each. He assumed she either wore a baby pink tube top or spaghetti-strapped shirt inside and over it was a white windbreaker. Her right wrist was adorned with a silver bracelet. She had a long black skirt, reaching just below her knees, denim type. Instead of what other girls usually wear, she had a pair of white, pink and light grey sneakers and white socks, reaching above her ankles. What caught his eye though was that she still had on the necklace that he bought for her, the same one he had on, except his lace was a bit longer.

"Um, is something wrong?" she asked, looking at him.

Sasuke snapped from his thoughts and shook his head, looking away. At this, she took the time to observe him, to see his physical changes. _"His style of clothing hasn't changed a bit." _She giggled inwardly. True though, when he was still a teenager, he either had a plain shirt on, or a button-up one, or both, like what he was wearing today. A black one, the buttons undone, inside was a white shirt with a black neckline. His hair didn't change, his eyes were still the same onyx ones she knew, yet something was a bit different about them. He still wore jeans and rubber shoes. On his right wrist were some sports accessories. There were two ballers, one black and one blue. His left had a black and blue digital watch.

"Still love the colors black and blue?" she asked, smiling.

"Yeah," he said and looked up at the sky. _"What now?" _he asked himself, having no idea what to say or what to do, that is, until he heard an all-too familiar voice. _"Dobe…" _he thought, glancing at where his best friend was, running towards them but instead of calling out to him, he was yelling Sakura's name.

"I've been looking all over for you!" Naruto yelled, finally reaching them and panting, catching his breath. He was already engaged to Hinata and would be married after two more months. Much to everyone's relief, Hinata's father, Hyuuga Hiashi, has accepted the obnoxious blonde despite his flaws and even agreed to them living under one roof.

"Why, what's up?" Sakura asked, blinking.

"Well, you see-" he stopped and turned to Sasuke. "Oh, hey Sasuke."

A bonk on the head was what he got. "Dense…" he muttered and sighed. He heard his ex laugh, and it made him, for the first time in ten years, blush as she heard the way her voice sounded when she giggled. Naruto noticed this and forgot about the lump on his head. Instead, he smiled at his best friend and turned back to Sakura.

"Bad news Sakura," he said. "When Hinata and I said you could stay, we really meant it, but then, she has to baby sit her 3 little cousins and I need to help her. Plus, there isn't enough room or any extra space for you, but if you want, I can help find a place for-"

"No, it's okay Naruto." She said, giving him one of her reassuring smiles. "I can just search for a hotel and stay there." Sasuke turned to her. "Why? Aren't you with your parents?"

She shook her head. "I came here by myself, and I wish not to stay in my dad's old mansion. No one would be there but me, and it's really scary there at night when you're all alone." She grinned sheepishly. "What about Ino?" asked Sasuke but she only shook her head. "She has her relatives staying over."

"Ten-Ten?"

"Nope, her grandparents are staying over."

"Neji?"

"In the Hyuuga mansion? No way, that's embarrassing."

"How about Shikamaru?"

"I don't think so, Ino might jump to conclusions."

Naruto butted in. "How about Sasuke's place? It's a great idea, I mean, he's living alone in his apartment and all, his room is big enough and-"

"You're living alone?"

Sasuke gave a nod. "I told my parents I can live on my own, that way, they'll have more time for themselves. And Itachi is already a successful doctor, he's the one taking care of them for the time being. I divide my pay for myself and for them."

"_Suke," _she thought, smiling. _"Like before, you're still caring towards others." _

Naruto nodded and patted Sasuke's back. "That's my best friend!" he grinned. "So Sasuke, you don't mind if she stays right?"

"Naru-"

"Great! I'll bring her bags later at your place!" he checked his watch and smiled once more. "Well, I have to go! I still need to meet up with Hinata so we can pick up her cousins!" and he left, bidding them goodbye.

The two watched as their hyperactive friend ran off, disappearing in the crowd. Sakura looked at him and shifted nervously. "I can just look for a hotel you know, I mean, if I invade your privacy so much, I can-"

"No."

"..?"

"It's too dangerous to stay in a hotel on your own nowadays." He said, gesturing her for a walk. "You see, things aren't the way they were before, people change, and most for the bad. The country's economy has been greatly affected because of corrupt officials, thankfully, our military defenses, as well as the prime minister, are still on the right track, so the economy hasn't really fallen."

"But unlike them," she said, looking down, glancing at him. "You haven't changed that much, you're still the same Sasuke that I know."

He stopped and so did she. He turned his head to her, a look that she wasn't quite familiar with. "I'm not who I used to be Sakura." And he continued walking out of the park, followed closely by his ex, the two heading for his apartment.

* * *

He pushed the door open, waiting for her to enter his abode as he closed it, locking the door and setting his house keys on the center table of the living room. He proceeded walking to the kitchen, telling her to sit down or to feel free to look around and make herself at home. He pretended not to hear but his ears clearly picked up what she had said: "I always feel at home as long as you're there." 

His place was already like a house. The living room was fairly big and there was a flat screen TV there, a DVD player, movies neatly piled up on one side and some sound systems for music. She continued looking around, memorizing every detail of his home. The carpet was blue, the walls and ceilings were white. The windows were the sliding type and they were frosted, to prevent other people from snooping. The door was made of wood, the doorknob a silver color.

Walking around some more, she looked at the few picture frames hanged on the wall and a few more that were displayed at the side table of the couch. One was of him and his brother, next to it was a family portrait. The third one was a picture of him and his German shepherd dog which he named Haru since it was given to him at the season of spring.

She averted her eyes to the two framed pictures on the side table. One was their group picture when they were in second year high school, and the other one was of him and her. They were both in their high school uniforms, his school jacket left unbuttoned and tie hanging loosely around his neck. Her hair was in a half-pony tail style. She smiled at their positions: he was seated on the grass, one leg raised closed to his chest, the other on the ground. A hand above the leg he had bent and the other grasping her shoulder. She was behind him, standing yet bending forward to hug him from behind, her chin resting on top of his spiky and messy raven hair and a smile on their faces; their silver tag necklaces glowing slightly from the flash of the camera.

"_You still have this picture…" _she thought and walked over to the kitchen, just in time to see him take out a can of cola and toss it to her which she caught with ease, giving a "thanks" to him as he closed the fridge's door and opened his own canned soda. "How have you been doing lately?" he asked as he took a seat across from her, gesturing her to settle down as well.

"Well, I finished studying to be a pro at baking, and… well…" she looked down, blushing slightly. "My mom helped me find a manager for modeling." Sasuke stopped halfway from drinking his beverage before taking a sip once more and not saying anything for a few moments. "What made your mom do that?" he asked. She scratched her cheek with her index finger and looked up at him with a small smile. "I told her before I wanted to become one, and she… remembered you all of a sudden."

"Hn." He said, avoiding her gaze. "What about you, how's your job been?" she asked, finding her soda interesting to look at. "First, Kakashi, a close friend of my dad, gave me a job for it, and the studio I work in was pleased with my shots, be it random or not. I've been to many places and met a lot of top models. Guys, girls, or even homosexuals." He shuddered a bit and she laughed. "Well, ever since then, it's been one job after another until I made it to the top and… Kakashi sort of discovered my high school years in basketball and recommended me to a talent scout."

"Then what?"

"The guy called me yesterday, offering me a part to become a regular basketball player after watching the tapes Itachi sent Kakashi." He took another sip from his drink and looked up at the ceiling. "I declined it."

"But why?" she asked. "Isn't it one of your goals to become a regular player?"

"Yeah, but I'm fine with my job now, and…" he stopped and stood up, earning a questioning look from the girl he was with as he walked towards the living room, rummaging through his music CDs. He took one out and handed it to her as she turned it over, browsing at the songs. "Hey, aren't these the songs you and the others played back in high school?"

He nodded. "Then that means… you guys are..?"

"We're in a band. Though we're not that famous, it's just a past time for us and a side job. Neji even resorted to opening his own café." He stopped and remembered something. "Which reminds me, he's asking me if I know anyone who would be interested to work as a chef or baker there, you want the job?" he asked.

She returned him the CD and nodded, a bright smile on her face. "I'd be glad to." She finished the remaining liquid in her drink as Sasuke took the empty can, tossing it to the trash bin along with his. "The gang are working part-time there as well, myself included."

"Really? What do you guys do?"

"Naruto and Kiba are the waiters, Ten-Ten and Ino behind the counter. They're in charge of handing the cakes to the waiters for them to serve. Neji is the manager, Shikamaru his secretary and assistant, Shino and Chouji are responsible for the finances and ingredients, Hinata is in the baking part and I handle other main dishes. At times, we play there at night for live music performance."

The two got out of the kitchen as he led her upstairs. "You have got to let me have a taste of your cooking someday." She teased. He smirked at her. "Only if you let me try out your culinary skills," and he opened his room door. She stepped inside only to fall back when a dog jumped on her and began licking her face. "Haru, haha, cut it out!" she laughed. Sasuke pulled Haru by the collar and helped her up. She smiled at the dog, patting its head as it looked up at them with onyx orbs.

"I guess he missed you." Sasuke said and let her inside his room. "As what Naruto had said, it's good for two." She obsered the place, letting the details sink in to her head. The carpet was blue and so were the walls and ceilings, raging from dark to baby blue. His bed sheets were white, a few shades of blue again, his computer the colors of his two favorite shades with a hint of silver.

Just like the windows downstairs, the ones in his room were also sliding types. The air conditioner was connected to the ceiling. With this, he turned it on using a remote control. There was a shelf inside the room as well, with a lot of books in different categories, minus romance probably. His closet was nearby and there was a built-in bathroom as well. Near his bed was his white and blue electric guitar on a stand, the chord that was connected to the amplifier neatly in a circular pattern on the floor to prevent anyone from tripping.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself." He commented, eyes closed and hands in his pockets as he leaned on the doorframe. Sakura smiled and turned to him. "Well, it suits you, and it really feels comfy here." He straightened up a bit and nodded. "Well, you can get some rest, I still need to call Ten-Ten and ask her to send me the pictures, which she hopefully and should have uploaded, and to return my camera."

"Okay, but where am I going to sl-" she was cut off when he pointed at his bed and he began to rummage through his closet, tossing her a white shirt and black shorts. "While your clothes aren't here yet, just get change into those. You can use the showers, feel free to sleep or do whatever you want." He said and left the room. "I'll be downstairs, call me if you want or need anything." And he closed the door after his dog followed him outside.

Sakura stared at the door for a while and smiled, looking down at the clothes he lent her. "Sasuke…" she murmured, hugging his shirt near her body, taking a whiff of his vanilla scent. _"You still smell nice." _And she slowly plopped on his bed, lying on her back and holding his clothes nearer, clutching them like she would to her pillow. _"I missed you…"

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He was leaning against his room door, hearing her say his name and sigh dreamily. His mind was running wild earlier when they were in the same room, when he saw her smile once more. He was so tempted to pull her into his arms and take her back in his life, but he feared that she doesn't feel the same way as he does any longer, or was unsure if she was still single or already in a relationship with another. It somehow pained him as his hand raised and gripped on the shirt he had on that was near his heart. His eyes were shut tight and his head was lowered as he let out the tears he had held back for so long, for ten long years.

Haru looked at him with innocent eyes as his master cried a few more, sliding down on the floor. The dog walked over to him and licked his face in a comforting gesture, all the while whimpering a bit as if it understood the Uchiha's feelings. Sasuke only placed a hand over the dog but kept his head lowered, silent tears flowing down onto the carpet.

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Tossing and turning on the bed, Sakura got up and sighed, seeing the time on the alarm clock on his bedside table. It was 5:38AM in the morning and she couldn't get back to sleep after waking up at around 4AM. 

When she got out of bed, she immediately took the blue blanket after feeling the cold air of the air conditioner brush pass her bare legs. The shorts he lent her were loose and baggy, much like the white shirt as well. Wrapping the blue blanket around her, she took the remote control and turned off the air conditioner, headed out of the room and down the stairs.

She only noticed now that the whole house was cool after seeing an air vent on the way to the living room. It was probably for heating purposes as well, and that only led her to think: _"How much money did he spend for all this?" _Judging from the way everything looked, it was cleaned daily either by a hired maid or he himself tidied up every chance he got. Plus, the kitchen was really neat and every utensil was sparkly clean. Other than that, the whole cooking place was what any chef or baker, like her, would ever dream of having and wanting a place for baking or cooking.

Her ears picked up a grunt coming from the couch and she walked over to it, smiling when she saw her ex on the couch, lying on his back, one leg on the arm rest, the other on the floor. He had his shoes off and was wearing a pair of white socks. He still had the same clothes he had on yesterday and a few paperwork on the center table of the sofa with an empty coffee mug. A few pens were scattered as well and some printed out pictures were set aside. He had been working.

Sakura eyed him some more, one arm over his stomach and the other one was hanging over the couch, calloused fingers nearly touching the floor. He still wore the necklace she had bought for him as she absent-mindedly clutched her own. The black polo he had on was slightly exposing his white shirt and she giggled when her eyes roamed over his sleeping face. _"Still cute." _She thought and removed the blanket that wrapped her body, placing it over his sleeping form.

Hesitating a bit, she lowered her head and planted a light kiss on his forehead, brushing away a few of his raven bangs lightly. Her feet brought her to the wooden table as she bent down slightly, fixing the scattered pens and papers, stacking them neatly. She took the mug and headed towards the kitchen, taking a glass container of coffee from a certain cupboard and brewing it with hot water. After all these years, she still has a sixth sense when it comes to guessing where a certain item was in the Uchiha household.

_"I think I'll make him some breakfast before he wakes up." _She thought, smiling to herself and glancing a bit at the sleeping Uchiha.

_**To be continued…

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_Next on Snapshot: Chapter 2: Reliving Memories  
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Her cheeks flushed as she steadied her gaze on his eyes that were fixated on her cut. "Hmm… you should be careful." He said and pulled her finger into his mouth, sucking on the blood to prevent infection. She only stared at him with wide eyes as he pulled her finger out of his mouth and brought it near the kitchen sink, turning on the water and washing off the remaining blood. Nearby, he took a first aid kit from a cupboard and took out a band aid, wrapping it neatly and carefully around the cut.

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_A/N: So rare to find a guy like Sasuke, who still remains loyal and still loves Sakura. Real reasons behind why she returned and why she preferred to come back alone will be revealed in the next chapter! Let me know what you think! If you have questions, I'll answer them, but if it spoils the story, I can't tell you and will just have to let you wait for the answer to reveal itself in the fiction._


	2. Reliving Memories

_A/N: Wow, you guys really love this fiction! Also, Sasuke and the rest, except for Neji and Ten-Ten, are 28-years old. I made a mistake in typing 24. Sasuke and Sakura broke up when they were 18, so after ten years, that means 28. Thanks Laverne for noticing!

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**Snapshot**

He awoke to the smell of fried eggs and bacon, a cup of hot, steaming coffee and the sound of a toaster alarming anyone that the toasted bread was ready. He furrowed his eyebrows, though his eyes were still closed, and slowly sat up, clutching his head with one hand as he felt a cloth fall down from his body. Eyes opening and glancing at the floor, he saw the blue blanket that lay messily on the carpet, somewhat blending in with the color.

Raising a confused eyebrow as he picked it up at the same time standing, he wondered what it was doing here when he didn't even bring it with him last night. Sasuke turned to the center table to find his coffee mug gone, the papers neatly stacked and the pens arranged in a better order than before.

"_Wha..?" _

He heard footsteps approach him as he turned his head to his left, seeing Sakura with a tray full of bacon and eggs, toasts, and his coffee. She grinned and greeted him a good morning, handing him the tray which he took, eyes not leaving her. He also took notice that she was wearing his black apron and a matching bandana to go with it.

"…" was what he said and glanced down at the plate. "Um… thanks." He finally said and turned back to her. "What about you?" she blushed slightly and scratched her cheek. "I'm not hungry." He snorted at this and sat down, placing the tray on the table and pulling her down to sit beside him. She looked at him in a confused expression as his hand reached over her, rather, his bandana and tugged it off of her head gently, her pink bangs swaying down, back at its original position of framing her face.

"Sasuke..?"

He said nothing and took a spoon full of egg, raising it in front of her mouth as he smirked at her blushing face. She obliged and opened her mouth as he fed her, at times, taking a bite for himself. "By the way," he said, taking a sip from his coffee. She looked at him, blinking. "You still look good in my clothes."

* * *

**_Chapter 2: Reliving Memories_**

The cold water pricked her skin as she lowered her head, her long hair shielding a few parts of her skin as the water continued to drip down from her wet body, being replaced by more. She had finally rinsed every soap and shampoo she had earlier and turned off the water, grabbing the white towel that was hanging on the rack.

Naruto had finally arrived with her bags earlier, and she resorted to taking a shower after Sasuke had said that his parents and brother were coming over to visit him. Every Sunday was Itachi's day off, yet when emergencies came up, he had to leave. His parents could take a day off anytime they want; they were the boss of their own company after all.

At these things, her mind was filled with questions; how are they going to react when they see her? Will they still accept her? Would they get mad at her? Will they still treat her the same way as before? She knew she was afraid, scared that Fugaku might give her a lecture, or Mikoto might end up sending her away, that Itachi would send her a death glare. Even if Sasuke was there, it still didn't help for her fear and doubts, as well as worries to reduce.

Shaking her thoughts off, she pulled out a white top, a white skirt and a light blue cardigan jacket. She buttoned the middle one and continued to dry her hair and began fixing it in a half-pony tail style. She glanced at the necklace that Sasuke also had around his neck and put it on, checking herself at the mirror. Satisfied, she put on some socks to prevent her feet from getting cold due to the air conditioner that was open almost 24 hours unless there was nobody inside.

The aroma of food reached her nostrils as she followed the scent that was coming from the kitchen, no duh, and she put on a pair of slippers and walked inside the marbled floor of the kitchen, pass the dining table good for four-six people and stopped right behind her ex.

Sasuke was done taking a bath earlier and had worn the same style of clothing. His shirt was still white but the polo over it was blue and this time, he had a pair of beige cargo pants on and his black apron and bandana over everything. He was fixing lunch for his family, him and Sakura. Like his ex, he was thinking about how the three would react when they see her. Although he was more on the positive side that they won't treat her bad, there were still "what if" questions plaguing his head.

His thoughts were interrupted when a glomp from Sakura startled him, making him nearly jump from the surprise attack. She let go and giggled, pointing at his bewildered face. "Got 'ya!" she grinned. He still stared at her though, still feeling her arms around his body, missing the touch, craving for more of it. His widened eyes turned to half-closed ones as he turned his back on her and continued to cook the Japanese fried rice.

He took the plate of scrambled eggs he cooked earlier and mixed it with the rice. He turned the heat to low mode and added soy sauce and mixed it once more; finally, he turned the stove off and moved the rice to a platter.

Sakura watched him, wondering why he suddenly remained silent and had ignored her. She thought that maybe, he was mad or just wanted to finish everything quickly. Still, she opened her mouth to say something but he cut her off. "Could you set up the table for me?" he asked and she smiled slightly. "Sure." Walking over to the cupboards, he took out five plates, five pairs of chopsticks as well as bowls, five tea cups and some serving spoons for the food.

"What're you cooking?" she asked while setting everything down, fixing it the old traditional, Japanese way. "Chicken Terriyaki." He said. "Hey Sakura," she looked down at this, hearing him call her by her first, full name instead of the nickname. "You still know how to make that tea you made me when I was sick?"

"Yeah, you want me to make it?"

"Aa, if it's alright."

"Sure," she said, walking over to him. "Why, are you sick?"

"No, my mom also likes it, and so do dad and Itachi."

She smiled at this and prepared the items needed for the tea. "I never knew they liked it, why didn't you tell me?" he shrugged and took out a serving plate, putting the food on it. "You never asked." She stuck her tongue out at him as he turned to her and raised a brow. "I don't need to ask, you can just say."

"Since when did you learn how to give a good comeback?"

It was her turn to shrug this time as she peeled the skin of an apple and began cutting it into cubes. "Let's just say, ever since you always win against me on our nonsense arguments, I decided to learn a good retorts." She then squeaked like a mouse and looked at her index finger, seeing a cut on it as blood began to ooze out. He heard her and walked over to the girl, seizing her hand as gently as possible as he examined it.

Her cheeks flushed as she steadied her gaze on his eyes that were fixated on her cut. "Hmm… you should be careful." He said and pulled her finger into his mouth, sucking on the blood to prevent infection. She only stared at him with wide eyes as he pulled her finger out of his mouth and brought it near the kitchen sink, turning on the water and washing off the remaining blood. Nearby, he took a first aid kit from a cupboard and took out a band aid, wrapping it neatly and carefully around the cut.

What he did next made Sakura blush more as his lips touched her finger, kissing it lightly, sending a spark up her spine as he patted it lightly and grinned at her. "Just like old times as what Naruto would say if he were here." She only gave a nod as he turned back to placing the food on the table. "So, how's the tea going?" he asked as she poured the cubed apples on a juicer, adding the liquefied apples in the hot water as it continued to boil. "So far so good." She said, checking on it.

"Now all we have to do is wait." He said, heading towards the couch and plopping on it, Sakura following suit as she sat down beside him, a few inches away. "What do you want to do?" he asked and she just shrugged and then smiled, looking at him. He looked back at her, wondering what was wrong. "You could sing for me." He gave her a "what the hell" look and she just giggled. "Come on, I haven't heard you sing for years!"

"Maybe some other time…"

"Aww, but why not now?"

"Well, it's kind of… I don't know, but I promise I will, just not now."

"Oh alright," she sighed and leaned back on the couch. He watched her, amused by how she sat down instead of the proper way which her father kept nagging at her to do. "What?" she asked, raising a brow at him as he smirked and averted his gaze elsewhere "I remember you once tried to grab my camera for taking a picture of you when you tripped."

She blushed and stammered. "Y-you idiot, of course I'd get that camera from you because you- you- my skirt was- and then you-" he smirked some more. "Actually, I was just going to take a picture of you walking, but then you tripped on the school's front stairs and well, you know what happened."

"Your timing was bad."

"So was yours."

"Why would you want to take a picture of me?"

"Why? Was it a crime to take a picture of my girlfrie-" he stopped and looked away as she lowered her head a bit, silence engulfing them as they shifted uncomfortably, forcing themselves to say something. "…It was… my hobby…" he whispered as she glanced at him, he was still not looking at her. "You know that I love taking pictures of you when you're… unaware of it…" he smiled slightly. "I already told you before that you look cute when you get mad at me for taking your picture without your consent."

"I-I know… and to be honest, I didn't mind… you always did show me the pictures in the computer." She smiled a bit. "And… I lo- liked you for that…" he looked down as well, his smile not fading. "Aa," he said, looking at her as she did so as well, their eyes meeting. "I know that." She blushed lightly, feeling a spark between them as she unconsciously neared him, him mirroring her move. Both their eyes slowly closing and noses touching, their lips let out a shallow and warm breath, caressing each other's faces. "S-Suke…" she whispered when they were mere inches from each other. He smiled; his voice not trembling but calm and cool. "Sak…" and their eyes fully closed as their lips continued to near each other.

"Sasuke, what's up bro?"

Startled by the door suddenly bursting open, Sasuke had lost his balance and fell off the couch while Sakura immediately backed away and ended up lying on her back on the couch. Both adults staring at Itachi who was on the door with a happy face but a drop of seat rolled down behind his head, seeing their reactions: Wide eyes and faces red, _extremely _red.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know that you were having an alone time with Saku-" he stopped and turned to Sakura with wide eyes. "Sa…ku…ra..?" she gave a small smile and nodded meekly as Itachi quickly entered and eyed the girl from head to toe. With an awed whistle, he turned to Sasuke and grinned. "You got back together?" he frowned though, when Sasuke had looked away, his face looking forlorn. "I guess not…" Itachi murmured and turned to Sakura, smiling his Itachi smile. "So, how has my little sister been?"

Her eyes lit up when Itachi still treated her the same. She told him that everything was fine, that her father didn't change one bit and her mother was still supporting her all the way. "And I'm about to become a model."

"A model..?"

All three turned back to the doorway to see Mikoto standing there, staring at Sakura as Fugaku came into view from behind, eyes widening when he saw Sakura. Sasuke stood up and gave a small bow to his parents. "Dad, mom, you remember Sakura right?" The two, including Itachi, flinched inwardly when Sasuke had called her by her name and not nickname. "Yes, of course," Mikoto said, smiling softly at Sakura. "How can I ever forget those emerald eyes, pink hair and beautiful, angelic face." She said, walking over to her and clasping her hands with the girl. "Hello Saku-chan, is my daughter still doing well?"

Sakura nearly cried when the older woman had said those words that she nodded enthusiastically, both hugging each other in a tight embrace for not seeing each other for years. Now, all that's left was the reaction of the father, who just entered and closed the door. Sakura looked up at him, stood up and bowed slightly to the Uchiha patriarch. Fugaku nodded and gave a small smile. "Looks like the Uchiha family's blossom has returned…"

And that only resulted to a sigh of relief from the two Uchiha brothers. Knowing their dad, he does not forgive and forget easily. Whatever Sakura had that made him treat her well will be a mystery unless their father himself tells them his reason.

* * *

"So, you're soon going to be a model?" Mikoto asked, sitting at Sakura's left side across Itachi. Sakura nodded. "Yeah, my mom knows someone here who can be my manager. I'm just waiting for her call as to where I can meet up with the person." 

"I see, what made you want to become one?" she asked, glancing at Itachi and Fugaku who smirked while Sasuke remained silent and continued eating. Sakura turned pink and looked up at her ex who sat across from her who happened to have chosen that time to look at her. Their eyes met and stayed like that for a while before blushing and looked down to continue eating, their bangs shadowing their eyes yet their cheeks flushed.

Fugaku, who sat at the middle, being the head of the family, turned from his son to the girl and chuckled a bit. "No need to be shy Sakura, it's because of Sasuke now, is it?"

"A-Aa…"

"She's starting to sound like him…" commented Itachi and soon yelped, dropping his chopsticks and glaring at his younger brother who glared back, only his face was still red. "You didn't have to kick me…" He hissed. "Yes, yes I _had _to!" Sasuke hissed back. "Now, now, you two, behave." Mikoto scolded and turned to Sasuke. "So dear, how's your job- er- jobs?"

"Fine, same thing, nothing new." He answered bluntly, taking a sip from the tea Sakura made. "Good," his mother said, nodding and turned back to Sakura. "So, you're staying here right? For how long?"

"Well, I plan to remain here in Japan, I was never comfortable back in the US, I got homesick." Itachi coughed, muttering "Sasuke-sick" which only earned another kick from Sasuke under the table. "That's great dear!" Mikoto smiled brightly. "Do come by our house this afternoon! I'd like to catch up with you, I can even take you to the mall and we can shop till we drop!"

Sakura giggled and accepted the offer, earning the three men to groan, recalling how the Uchiha matriarch last went shopping and had their hands full of her clothes and other items purchased. "Unfortunately, I won't be going with you." Itachi said, finishing his tea. "I have to drop by the hospital later, you wanna come bro?"

Sasuke mentally thanked the heavens and nodded almost immediately. Fugaku looked at them with a death glare which they returned with a smirk. "Aww, too bad… oh well!" Mikoto clapped her hands once and grinned at her husband. "There's always your father who can accompany us, right dear?"

"Hn… right…" he muttered grudgingly.

Luckily for Fugaku though, Mikoto's phone rang and she answered it immediately. Her eyes turned to a sad look when the caller had explained his purpose and she just sighed and said she'll be right there and then hung up. "Saku-chan, I guess we'll have to do our little trip to the mall some other time, my secretary called and he said I was needed, well, me and my husband." She turned to Fugaku who mouthed a "Now?" to her and she nodded.

"Well, we'll be going then, sorry that our Sunday gathering is cut short Sasu-chan." Mikoto went to her youngest son and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll see you some other time then, and maybe, you could bring Saku-chan when you plan to visit us?"

"Sure." He said, nodding.

The older woman smiled and patted his head. "Great meal by the way, and Saku?" said girl looked up. "I loved the tea!" and she and Fugaku bid their goodbyes, stepping out of Sasuke's home. Itachi carried his empty plate, bowl and cup to the sink, offering to wash the dishes for them. Sasuke only raised a brow at this and Itachi grinned. "Did you deliver the photos to the studio yet?"

"Oh crap, I forgot." He said, slapping a hand on his forehead. "You don't mind if you stay here and keep Sakura company, do you?" he asked. Itachi nodded, saying it was no trouble at all. Sasuke turned to Sakura who blinked. "I just need to send those pictures to the studio and I'll take you to Neji's café for the job application."

"Okay." She said, nodding.

"Well, I'm off!" and he went to the door, putting on his shoes and grabbing the pictures from the center table and the other stack of papers. He took his house key and motorcycle key, and then picked up a random backpack. He put on his tinted helmet, went out of the house, got on the black and blue bike, started the ignition and rode off to the studio, making sure the papers were secured in the bag he had took from his living room.

"So, Sakura," Itachi said, finishing the last of the dishes and turning to her, arms crossed and back leaning against the sink. He gave her a serious look and she only wondered what was wrong. "I've been meaning to talk to you lately, but then, you were never online ever since you broke up with my brother." She fidgeted, not liking where this was going.

Itachi straightened himself up and headed out of the kitchen. "Come with me." Confused, she stood up and followed him up to Sasuke's room, only to be greeted once more by Haru. Itachi gave it a pat and scratch behind the ears and proceeded in opening Sasuke's computer. "Tell me Sakura, what is the exact reason why you came back?"

"Why are you asking me that?"

He used the swivel chair to turn his whole seated figure to her, eyes still having their serious glint. "Sasuke is my brother, and after he told me everything when he came home the day you broke up with him, I've been more overprotective and strict when it came to girls who are out to get him. But that was a bit useless, since he didn't want to get into a relationship with others except you."

"Why?"

"I think you should know that by now," he said, turning to the computer screen and clicking a certain icon. "Especially when you two were about to kiss each other before I came in." he stood up and told her to come over. "You should read his journal entries, they're mostly about you, and if you want to know how he really feels during your absence, I can tell you everything."

Her eyes read through every entry Sasuke made, her heart feeling heavy every journal she finished reading. The last and most recent one was a month ago, submitted at the twelfth of April. _(See prologue)_ Her eyes watered when she read everything, it made her feel bad and she just looked away and closed her eyes, letting hot tears flow down from her eyes, her shoulders trembling.

Itachi guided the cursor to the "X" on the title bar and closed the window, then turned off the computer. "You're his first, and most probably, last love. Dad tried to tell him to forget about you, after what you did, but my foolish brother only defended you all the more. Mom tried to comfort him, yet nothing worked. I did my best, but it wasn't good enough. You can even ask Naruto, Neji or any of the guys he's close to, they couldn't reach him, he was… and still is… in…" he trailed off, not wanting to continue.

"That's why I need to know, why did you come back?"

She hugged herself and her sobs subsided when Itachi waited for her patiently. She opened her mouth but he barely heard her answer. "What?" he asked. "I came back because of him; I… did it for him…"

"Do you still love my brother?"

"…yes."

"Then, why did you break up with him?"

"I had to!" she yelled. "My dad forced me, I refused. He bribed, blackmailed and tempted me, and I turned it all down for him, until…"

"Until what?"

"…until he said that if I don't break up with him… he'll…" she shut her eyes tight and clenched her arms. "He'll get rid of Sasuke himself, he'll make sure he'll do something to hurt him more than me breaking up with him. I still remained strong and brave, taunting him, saying and daring him of what he could do that could hurt Sasuke…"

"And what did he say?"

"My father… he'll have me married to another guy, and he'll make sure that Sasuke would see it, he'll force me to do everything, even if it is against my will. And when I still refused and said he could never do that, he called a friend of his, who was an actress, and who had the same green eyes like mine. Her hair style was almost identical to mine, and they could just dye her hair pink, and then, have her play as me, two-timing Sasuke."

"That…" Itachi gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his palms. "That bastard… he'll even step so low to hurting my brother at the same time doing that to you…" Sakura still avoided his gaze and continued. "I had to break up with him, it was better than having him see or believe that someone playing as me would be cheating on him, making him think I was cheating him. My mother tried her best to help me, but we just couldn't change dad's mind. And when we were in the States, I planned to leave as soon as my father thinks that I've forgotten about Sasuke."

"And you still haven't…"

"No, how could I?" she smiled slightly. "He's always been there for me, he's given everything that I would've wanted, he's sacrificed a lot for me, that much I can tell that he is dead serious in love with me." She stood up and glanced at Itachi. "And after what you said about him not seeing other girls for this long, it only proves that he still has feelings for me."

"Have you ever tried to forget about Sasuke?"

"No, not in a million years," she answered, looking back down. "I'm only hoping that my mom could stall my dad until I can get back with Sasuke, that is, if he's still willing to give us a chance."

"You have no idea how he's determined to get you back." He said, looking outside the window to see Sasuke's bike parked and the rider getting off of it. "One more thing Sakura,"

"Yeah?"

"Why didn't you tell Sasuke the real reason?"

Sakura only smiled at this. "Because he would've done something stupid, he would've marched over to my father and could've offered his own freedom just for me." She looked at the open door, hearing Sasuke announce that he had arrived. "He would've killed himself to prove it."

Itachi smiled at her answer and gave a nod. "You know him more than I think you do." He walked passed her after whispering: "You pass."

_**To be continued…

* * *

**_

_Next on Snapshot: Chapter 3: Ice Cream_

He nodded. How could he forget? The first time she stuck her tongue out at him, he captured it in his mouth and started a French kiss with her in public, in front of the school's entrance, with many students and teachers gaping at them. She laughed and looked at the untouched, rather, "un-licked" ice cream and turned back to him. "Strawberry has been my favorite, and vanilla has been yours. When I was in the States, I learned to love the two flavors together."

* * *

_A/N: Finally! The stupid site finally had me logged in! Geez! _


	3. Ice Cream

_A/N: More fluff! If you have Craig David's "I'm Sorry", do play it! And the song does not belong to me, nor was it _really _composed by Sasuke.

* * *

_

**Snapshot**

She looked at the whole place in awe, stepping inside on the marbled floor of the A-class café. Her eyes wandered to the cakes that were refrigerated yet displayed for customers to see. A coffee maker behind the counter with a few espresso machines, some fruits for smoothies, and an open view of where the kitchen is. She could clearly see the way things were maintained clean and neat, as well as organized.

"Like it?" he asked as she turned to him, nodding. He pocketed his hands, along with the key of the place and his own motor keys. "It's still too early, and the others won't be here for an hour. This opens at around 7:30AM until 10PM or later. Depends on Neji's decision." He said and walked over to the small stage and began to fix the amplifiers and instruments.

Sakura watched him as he tuned the lead and bass guitars then checked the position of the drums and the wires attached to the keyboard. He bent down on one knee, crouching as low as he could to see if there were damages or scratches on the instruments, as well as wires. Satisfied, he walked to the microphone stands, adjusting them to the right height, pushing the microphone down so that the instruments can be heard played. Walking to the front, he tapped on the mic, hearing it echo against the speakers. He twisted the stand, pulling it up a bit as the microphone was near his lips and was at the right height.

Sasuke turned back to Sakura, feeling her gaze on him as he raised a brow at her. She just blinked and smiled, shaking her head, indicating that it was nothing. Shrugging, he continued to fix the whole stage and stepped down to take a look at the results. "Can you play for me?" he heard her ask and he just lowered his head a bit, glanced at her smiling face and returned to the stage, stopping in front of the keyboard as he turned it on, playing the intros of the music he chose, a music he had ended up writing when she broke up with him, the song the gang had made her listen before she left.

"_The song… it's 'I'm sorry'…" _she thought, hearing the keynotes, the melodious tone ringing in her ears as she unconsciously walked up to him, standing beside him and closed her eyes, hearing his voice singing on the right part.

* * *

**_Chapter 3: Ice Cream_**

"Rain outside my window pouring down," she slowly opened her eyes and listened to the lyrics "What now, you're gone, my fault, I'm sorry." and his hands moved fluently on the keyboard. "Feeling like a fool cause I've let you down." She sighed and eyed him. "Now it's too late to turn it around. I'm sorry for the tears I've made you cry, I guess this time it really is goodbye, you made it clear when you said:" he looked at her. "I just don't love you no more…" and he ended the song with the last notes. They shot their heads up when they heard claps coming from someone who stood before the stage.

"Still the best soloist…"

"Neji," Sasuke murmured and turned off the keyboard, his head lowered and eyes half-closed. Sakura gave a small smile and raised her hand as a greeting. "Hey Neji!" she grinned. Neji gave a nod, returning the greeting as he turned to Sasuke. "You better make sure Shikamaru doesn't find out you used his keyboard again."

"Hn." He said, stepping down from the stage and walking to the kitchen as he pushed open the double doors. Sakura slowly descended from the three steps of the stage, eyes not leaving Sasuke's figure, even when he disappeared behind the doors. Something was bothering him, she could tell, and Neji felt her urge to ask him but decided against it. "He's always like that whenever he's finish playing or singing a song, especially _that _song."

"But… why would he play such a song?"

"Wasn't it one of your favorite ones?" he asked back and proceeded inside the kitchen, leaving Sakura to think of what he had just said. _"Yeah, it was and still is my favorite song, but… if he's so affected by it, he should've played another…" _she sighed and entered the kitchen as well, seeing Neji talking with Sasuke about the café. "I don't really mind uniforms, just as long as they're not too formal or steamy." She heard her ex mutter. "You mean you guys don't have a proper dress code?"

Neji shook his head. "You know how Ino fusses over fashion so much." At this, the two men sighed. "Not only that, Uncle Hiashi told me it would be proper and appropriate." Sakura nodded at this and approached them. "So what do you have in mind?" he handed her a brown envelope he had with him when he came. "The design is inside. Although it's still not final."

Sakura took out the two pieces of paper and her eyebrows twitched when she saw the drawing of the uniforms. Sasuke, curious as to why she reacted like that looked over her shoulder and turned a bit pale as he eyed Neji with an "are-you-serious" look. The older man just shrugged.

For the girls, they were to wear a tight micro mini-skirt and a white long-sleeved blouse with a red vest over it. Judging from the curves, especially on the chest area, it was obvious how tight and _emphasizing_ it was meant to be and Sasuke only took it, tore it to pieces and left them lying on the floor, scattered and… well, torn. Neji glared at him. "There is no way she," he pointed at Sakura. "Or any of the girls are going to wear that! Not with perverted men still around in this world."

"Don't blame me, I didn't design it."

"Who did?" Sasuke asked. "It better not be Naruto and Kiba."

"Close, but it was only them who approved the girls' uniforms, yet they aren't responsible for the design. It was Jiraiya's. He even offered to pay for the cost of the clothes, seeing that as a good opportunity, I agreed. But of course, only if everyone agrees."

"Over my dead body." The Uchiha deadpanned and crossed his arms. "If it's the money you're worried about then leave it to me." Sakura turned her head to Sasuke with wide eyes. _"What..? Is he serious?" _she coughed. "Sasuke, you'll need money for your needs at home, especially since you're living alone, I can help you there and I can even spend for the-"

"No you won't." he said, eyes narrowed and averted back to Neji. "And I will definitely not wear that clothing!" he eyed the paper that Sakura held, where a sketch of the boys' uniform was. It was… very embarrassing to even look at it. It was like an old-fashioned suit, with lots of ruffles and such. They'd look like idiots and dorks if they were to wear that.

Neji scratched his head. "I agree, I just didn't care since he was gonna spend the money for it." He shrugged. "I'll make it yours and Sakura's assignment to design our uniforms then. I need it by tomorrow. For that, you don't have to report to work today. I'll take your place and Sakura, you can start working here tomorrow if you want."

"But what about tonight's performance?"

"You can come back tonight just for that."

* * *

"Stupid pervert old man…" he hissed while Sakura only giggled at this. They were taking a walk around the park and had stopped in front of an ice cream booth. He turned to her. "You want one?" she blushed a bit and shook her head. He raised a brow at her. "Honestly, I know you want one." And he approached the counter, Sakura following him and trying to stop him when the ice cream man grinned sheepishly. "I only have one cone left though." Sasuke shook his head "It doesn't matter, it's for her." He took out the right amount of yen and paid the man as the guy nodded and scooped out a strawberry ice cream. 

Sasuke then turned and walked over to a bench. Sakura smiled and added a few more yen as the man quirked a brow at her. "Add a vanilla flavored one please." He nodded and scooped the said ice cream then handed her the cone as she smiled her thanks and walked over to Sasuke who stared at the ice cream in her hands. "Two? I only paid for one scoop-"

"I paid the other." She said, grinning. He narrowed his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me? Didn't I already tell you before, when you're with me, you're not spending any money." She stuck her tongue out at him playfully and he blushed, turning away as he recalled a few of their high school years. She smiled at this. "You remember that too huh?"

He nodded. How could he forget? The first time she stuck her tongue out at him, he captured it in his mouth and started a French kiss with her in public, in front of the school's entrance, with many students and teachers gaping at them. She laughed and looked at the untouched, rather, "un-licked" ice cream and turned back to him.

"Strawberry has been my favorite, and vanilla has been yours. When I was in the States, I learned to love the two flavors together."

Sasuke looked at her as she inched closer, the ice cream in-between them as she grinned. "Come on, I know you can't resist vanilla." He blushed and shook his head. "Sak, we're no longer kids." She only smiled some more. "But we once shared a single ice cream cone." He sighed. Knowing her, she won't give up. "Fine." And he caught how she smiled triumphantly as he hesitantly licked one side. "There, now you finish the rest." She frowned, and then pouted, and again, he was defeated. "Why me?" he asked himself, looking up at the sky. He shut his eyes, cheeks dark red as he licked the vanilla ice cream some more.

Sakura gave a content smile and leaned closer as well, licking her side of the ice cream. He made a mistake by opening his eyes, especially since their faces were a tad bit close, and he blushed some more when she licked the frozen treat. He backed away a bit and closed his eyes, trying to shake off the unwanted feeling he suddenly had.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

He shook his head and took out his cell phone when it began to ring. Checking the caller's name, he sighed and opened the flap of his phone, answering the person on the other line. "What do you want?" he asked.

"Is that any way to greet your superior?" the voice asked teasingly. "Anyway, come over to the studio, I need to discuss a few things with you."

"Like?"

"Like finding a female model as your partner for photography; you know, for advertisements or just plain pictures for displays or something."

Sasuke glanced at Sakura. "Does she need to have a license for modeling?"

"No, all she needs to do is agree to the terms and conditions in the contract, sign it, and she has the job. Why do you ask?" he paused. "You have someone in mind already?" The photographer smirked at the way his boss' voice sounded amused. "You could say that. I'll bring her to the studio then." And he hung up, stood and turned to Sakura who just finished her ice cream.

"Come on," he told her. "I'm taking you to the studio."

"Why?" she asked, blinking. "And what about the designs?"

He took her hand and pulled her with him, the other one in his pocket. "I'm sure you'll flip when you find out why. As for the designs, they can wait." Sakura half-stumbled and half-walked as she kept up with his pace towards his bike. He took one helmet and put it over her head then took the other one for his own. "Get on." And she did as he started the ignition and rode off to the studio.

* * *

"Good afternoon Uchiha-san, what brings you here?" the secretary asked,pushing her glasses up a bit and returned to fixing some papers. "Kakashi told me to come here, is he inside?" the woman checked her papers and took a ball point pen. "Ah, here it is! Yes, he's expecting you right now. You may go in." and Sasuke did, Sakura following him. 

"Kakashi," Sakura whispered then gasped. "As in _the_ Hatake Kakashi?"

"Yeah, you heard of him?"

"My mom told me everything she knows about him! From being a big action star to a mere talent scout manager!" he smirked at her enthusiasm and then gave a few knocks at the large mahogany door before them. They heard a "come in' from the other side so they entered, seeing a silver haired man seated on a swivel chair and having his arms crossed and back leaning against the chair's back rest. His nose and mouth covered by a mask and his left eye bore an eye patch.

Sasuke raised a brow at this. "What happened to your eye?" Kakashi chuckled, motioning the two to take a seat. "Had an accident, I won't be getting a new one until someone donates their eyeball. Anyway, moving on to why you're here." He turned to Sakura. "Is she who you're referring?"

"Aa, Haruno Sakura."

"Wait a minute," Kakashi abruptly turned his head back to Sasuke. "She- you- are yu sure?" he whispered so as Sakura wouldn't hear. She only picked up a few words such as "she" and "you". The rest were hard to figure out. "Yeah, positive." Came her ex's reply. Kakashi cleared his throat and faced Sakura once more. "I'm sure you'd like to know what's going on?" he asked with a smile.

"Yes please." She said politely.

"Well, the reason you're here is because Sasuke has recommended you to be one of our models." He took out a few papers and handed it to her. "What is written there are the terms and conditions, if you agree to them, just place your signature below and you'll be a model in no time." He paused as Sakura read over the whole deal, finding it fair enough. "That is, if you would accept the offer. It's also important that you're fond of this job and up for dealing with the press or any questions once you're famous. So," he grinned. "How about it Haruno-san?"

Unsure, she glanced at Sasuke who gave a reassuring smile then back at Kakashi, giving her own grin, she nodded as the man handed her a pen and she took it, signing her name below the contract. "Now, we will have to assign you to our best teacher when it comes to posture and modeling!" he pressed a random button on his phone and spoke through the speaker. "Nami-san, send in Kurenai-san and Tsunade-san."

"And a for your personal pho-"

The door opened and all heads turned to the two women who had entered the office. Kakashi smiled and stood up, nodding at them. "Haruno-san, this is Tsunade-san, she will be the one in-charge of your health and figure." Sakura looked at the blonde woman who smiled at her and gave a nod as she returned the gesture with a small bow. "As for Kurenai-san," she then faced the crimson-eyed girl with wavy black locks. "She will take care of how you walk, pose and what clothing you should wear when in front of the camera."

"It's nice to meet the two of you." Sakura said, standing up and bowing slightly. The two returned with a smile and a nod. "Ladies," the older women turned to Kakashi who looked at Sakura. "This is Haruno Sakura, and you all know who Sasuke is." Kurenai nodded and turned to Sasuke who stood up as well, giving his respects.

"Who would ever forget this little brat." She grinned, ruffling the boy's hair. "Just kidding, brat doesn't suit you at all." He shrugged, giving a small smile. "So I've been told." Tsunade grinned. "Still a smartass Uchiha." Again, he shrugged, pocketing his hands. "And still looking young as usual." He retorted sarcastically, smirking when the blonde woman forced her grin to stay on her face as her brows twitched dangerously. "Watch it Uchiha."

"Anyway, please bring the two to you know where!" Kakashi said in a sing-song voice, shooing them out of his office.

* * *

He watched her adjust, reaching to the demands and orders of the two women who checked her physique, eyed her hair and eyes. A smirk tugged on his lips when she nearly tripped from walking in two-inch heels. He was glad that he brought his digicam with him, and secretly, he took it out, turned off the flash and readied it, taking a picture of Sakura falling right on time. 

"Okay Sakura, please give us one twirl." Kurenai said.

The twenty-eight year old woman nodded, giving one spin and almost stumbling on her own feet. She cursed inwardly, recalling how she sucked at dancing when she was still in high school. It always was her boyfriend- rather, _ex_-boyfriend, who did the dancing, making her look like she was an expert as well. Be it the tango, the waltz or the sway. Funny though, especially since she came from an A-class family with high standards.

Her eyes caught how Sasuke held in his laughter, seeing him turn around, a hand covering his mouth and his eyes shut, the other hand holding onto his stomach which also held a digicam. She blushed furiously, and like what some people say, old habits die hard. "Uchiha Sasuke!" she yelled, catching the attention of the raven-haired photographer who blinked and faced her. "You're so dead!"

"_Oh shit." _He thought and raised his hand which held the camera above his head, keeping it out of reach from Sakura. Although, it didn't help much since she had heels on. "Sakura, stop it! Come on!" he said while she kept yelling and reaching for the thing. "Give it Sasuke!" she yelled. "No way! I miss doing this!" he countered. Sakura only glared at him and he gulped, knowing what was to come. "Give. It. Now." She repeated.

He looked thoughtful for a moment, giving her hope that he probably would give it but he grinned and opened his mouth: "No." Having enough of this, she tackled him, making the two of them fall on the floor, Sasuke still holding onto his camera and making sure it was still in one piece. He could afford to buy a new one but that would be another waste of money. "Delete that picture!"

"I will as soon as I upload it."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"WHY?"

"Because I miss taking pictures of you!"

She blushed, and so did he when he realized what he had just said. The two women who watched them from a far blinked, eyeing the two when they suddenly stopped arguing or… flirting, as some would call it. Kurenai tapped her chin. "Kakashi did say that they were once lovers." Tsunade nodded. "But from the way they act, it makes one think what made the two broke up." Kurenai eyed them for a while before responding. "Her father, he's fussing about their different standards in society. She's filthy rich, as for Sasuke, all I heard was that he lives alone in an average house."

"You… do..?"

He didn't answer but just looked away from her gaze, his blush not fading. "Aa." He replied, sitting up as she moved over a bit, getting off of him but not entirely. She continued to stare at him as he returned his gaze at her. "You should know that by now…" he stood up afterwards, offered a hand to her which she took then turned towards the exit of the modeling room. "I'm gonna get some coffee, you girls want anything?" he asked before closing the door behind him, waiting for their answers.

The two women smiled, shaking their heads then he turned to Sakura who just stood there, staring off in space, face looking a bit sad. _"I shouldn't have mentioned that." _He thought, suddenly having an idea as he smiled slightly at Sakura's direction before leaving the place. "Sakura, come on, we still have a lot to do." Tsunade said, catching the younger girl's attention. "H-hai!" and the newly-appointed model walked over to the two.

"Now then, try walking with this book on your head." Kurenai placed it above her ink tresses and smiled. "Walk down the stage with that on your head on those heels, if the book falls, you'll do it again until you perfect it." Sakura nodded and stepped up the platform, positioned the book above her head and began to walk. "Walk with your legs crossing over!" Tsunade ordered and she did, making her hips sway involuntarily, which made her feel a bit weird since she was not one to walk like that.

But not all would perfect the stunt so easily, halfway through; the book fell from her head. She sighed, picked it up and walked back to the end, then repeated the routine, determined to succeed. Again and again, when she was close to finishing the whole walk, the book fell. "Damn it." She hissed under her breath and picked it up, not seeming tired or willing to give up. Her spirit amused the two women, making them feel proud of her.

* * *

"And what would you have sir?" 

He eyed the menu that was displayed at the back of the counter, located above the heads of everyone in the room. Finding the drink he was looking for, he smiled slightly, not noticing how the girl behind the counter had blushed. "I'll have the strawberry and vanilla frappe. Take out." the girl nodded, punching his order and asking for the right amount of money. He took out his wallet and cursed inwardly, forgetting to bring some of his cash. "Miss, do you accept credit cards?"

"Yes we do sir."

He took out his Visa and handed it to her, watching as she swiped it, typed a few things and handed him a pen and paper for him to sign. Sasuke did so and passed the paper back, took his receipt and sat down on one of the chairs inside the café, browsing at the pictures he took with his digicam. He smiled when he stopped at the picture he last took, where Sakura had tripped on her high heels. _"Still clumsy." _He thought and kept the object back in its case.

Standing up after hearing his name being called, he walked over to the claiming counter and showed the receipt, then took the two frappes with him, not knowing a pair of eyes had looked at his way after hearing the name. They were wide with shock, and he wondered why the boy looks familiar. Most of all, he couldn't believe that he paid with the use of a credit card.

With a sigh, he took his phone out and dialed a number, brining it near his ear and mouth; he waited for the receiver to answer. "Kishiro, I need you to spy on a guy named Uchiha Sasuke, and fill me in about every information you get." He hung up and eyed the man who crossed the street and entered the building adjacent to the café, eyebrows narrowing at the same time. _"How far have you gone Uchiha?" _he thought, watching until the said boy's figured disappeared behind the glass doors.

* * *

"_Odd, I felt like someone was watching me." _Sasuke thought, walking towards the door that led him to where the models-in-training were. But only Sakura and the two women were inside, much to his relief. He twisted the knob and pushed the door open, stopping right there as he stared at Sakura with wide-eyes. What she did made him whisper "Wow…" and it somehow caught the attention of the three. 

Sakura blushed a bit, looking down with a small smile on her lips. All she did was walk like a model, without the book, since she has perfected the posture and stance. She was wearing white Capri pants that fit her legs perfectly, and a pair of stiletto heels to go with it. Her top consists of a baby pink spaghetti strapped shirt, with black hem and neck lines. She was supposed to have a denim jacket over it but while she walked and reached the front, she removed it, swung it over her right shoulder and posed, her hair swaying with her movements, right in time for Sasuke to witness the moment.

"Um… Sasuke, you can… stop staring now…" she said meekly.

He blinked and shook his head, cheeks flushed as he entered the room, closing the door behind him afterwards. She saw the plastic bag that he was carrying, the contents being two frappes, one vanilla, and the other… _"Strawberry frappe…" _she thought, blushing a bit when he neared her and handed the drink to her. "Well, I guess that's it for today then!" Tsunade said, nodding as she and Kurenai took their things.

Sakura sat down on the platform, taking the drink from him and giving a smile. "I see you still remember." He grinned sheepishly. "How could I not?" and he took a sip from his own drink. "Hey, we still have to work on the designs!" she said all of a sudden. "I already have one in mind for the guys, I don't know what to do with you girls." She pouted and he raised a brow. "Not fair." He smirked. "I'll help you, don't worry about it. Besides, it's only 4:18PM, there's still plenty of time."

"Hey you two, we'll be going now." Kurenai said, walking towards the door with Tsunade tailing behind. "Oh, and Sakura?" the pink-haired girl turned to her. "I'm sure you already know who your photographer is." And she left after smiling at them, Tsunade grinning and leaving the two alone.

Sakura turned to Sasuke with wide eyes. "You're my personal-"

"Yeah," he answered, finishing his drink and dumping it in a nearby trash bin. "If you want, I can ask someone else to-"

"No, no!" she shook her head and smiled. "I'm glad it's you actually." She looked down, a blush on her cheeks. Sasuke smiled as well, and offered her a hand. She took it as he pulled her down, assisting her on her feet. Sakura, however, forgot that she wore heels, so as soon as she landed on the floor, she tripped and fell, Sasuke catching her, preventing her from falling as he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close.

Sakura felt her heart skip a beat as their gazes locked; eyes wide and dilating, faces beat red. "Sasuke..?" his eyes softened as his hand reached up and brushed away the strand of hair that was on her face. "You okay?" he asked. She nodded, avoiding his gaze as she straightened herself up and turned around, her back facing him. "I better go and change back to my clothes." She said, walking towards the back stage.

"S-Sak," he suddenly said. Sakura stopped and turned her head to him. "I… um… it's nothing, forget about it." He looked down, scolding himself mentally for being such a coward. _"Why didn't I just say it? It's like I haven't said it before." _He wasn't the only one having these thoughts for the girl that was changing in the dressing room also thought about the same things. _"And I thought for sure he would say that he…" _she sighed, shaking her head, removing the Capri and putting on her black denim skirt, reaching an inch below her knee. She took her white windbreaker and discarded the denim jacket and white Capri. She changed into her sneakers after putting on her socks then stepped outside to meet up with Sasuke.

* * *

"Not bad." She said, eyeing the sketch he made for the guy's uniforms. It was a white long-sleeved button-up shirt; the sleeves were folded up until their elbows. Black slacks and navy blue apron finished everything up. "Simple, just like your character." She grinned and he only smirked at that. "What about you?" he asked, taking the sheet of paper that lay in front of her on the kitchen table. "Are you sure you didn't take up fashion designing?" he asked, teasing her. "This is a really good design." 

"You really think so?" she looked down, blushing a bit. He nodded, eyeing the drawing. It was also a white long-sleeved button-up shirt, a black skirt that reached below the knees for about two inches. Over the shoulders was a small cloak, reaching mid-chest level, a red ribbon securing it. Just like the guy's uniform, it also had an apron, only at the color of dark red. "And the name plates will be gold with black lettering?" he asked. She nodded. "Then I guess we're done!" he kept the two pieces of paper and inserted it in a brown envelope.

The two got up and proceeded to the living room, Sakura stopping all of a sudden which Sasuke noticed. "Is something wrong?" she stayed quiet for a while before looking back up at him. "Your brother told me about your journals." She watched as he gave a sigh and turned the other way. "Is it true? Is it really true that you still love me?" He froze and his fists clenched and shook. "Sasuke, please, I need to know..."

"Why?" He looked at her, eyes in a serious expression. "Do you?" and she was speechless.

_**To be continued…

* * *

**_

_Next on Snapshot: Chapter 4: Forever_

Everyone had started to gather around the campfire, ready to listen to Sasuke. He was going to fulfill his promise to Sakura that he'll sing for her, no matter who will be there to listen. He smiled slightly from his friends' encouragement and pleads that he brought out his guitar from its case and tuned it. "As you all know, this song is dedicated to Sakura."

* * *

_A/N: So, are they back together yet or not? Take a guess! _


	4. Forever

_A/N: It's nice to type romance/humor stories for a change, and for Celestrial Blossoms, if I could give you a sasusaku doujin, I would, but I don't even have one. Why? You've guessed correctly! Not about the Sasuke and Sakura getting back together but about the man who asked someone to spy on Sasuke! Congratulations! Chapter for today contains a bit of Lime! Please read **A Utopian Chronicle**by **Ayane Selznik**. It's a really good fic! Also, I have a fanfic challenge for those who are interested and not so busy with other things. I'll type it down after this chapter.

* * *

_

**Snapshot**

It was a simple question, yet she didn't know why she can't answer it or what she could say. Yes, she still loves him, but how come her mouth won't open to say those words he longs to hear? As for him, why did he ask such a question when he could've just said "yes". It's quite obvious that he still has feelings for her and it's not of his character to get back at anyone for what they've done in the past.

Sasuke is the "forgive and forget" type of guy.

With the silence the only thing answering their questions, he only sighed and sat down on the couch, staring at the TV. Sakura hung her head, feeling guilty about everything. Remembering what Itachi had said to her the last time, she walked over to the couch and sat down beside him, earning a raised brow from her ex. "The truth is I lied when I said I don't love you anymore."

* * *

_**Chapter 4: Forever**_

"What truth?" he asked.

"My dad is the reason why I broke up with you. He blackmailed me, bribed me and even threatened me, but I refused everything, saying that he can't do anything to stop us from loving each other. Then, he said and planned on doing something that would eventually break our relationship more than just mere breaking up." She looked at him with watery eyes yet her lips were curved into a small smile. "He hired an actress who almost looks like me, to pretend as me, to flirt with another guy and let you see that "I" was cheating on you."

He was shocked by this and he abruptly turned to face her, seeing how her tears have begun to fall freely as she continued to speak. "When he said that, I started thinking, can my own dad really do that to hurt his daughter and the one who is the most important person in her life? I even prayed to God that night, hoping it was all a dream, wishing it was just a nightmare. But when I woke up, dad immediately told me to get dressed for school and break up with you that day or else…"

"Or else..?"

"…he'll send the actress to school looking like me, pretending to be me, and just start kissing some random guy in front of you, making you think that I was cheating on you. I know it'll break your heart if you thought it was me kissing some other guy, and it would break mine if you break up with me when it wasn't really me."

"Sak-"

"I wanted to just kill myself right then and there! I just wanted to have a good and healthy relationship with you! I wanted to spend my whole life with you but my dad tore us apart! I can't even answer your question! I- I feel so stupid of ever asking you if you still love me when it's so damn obvious that you do!" she started breaking down in front of him, something she never did before, and it hurt him, pained him to see her like this.

"If you killed yourself," he started, glancing elsewhere. "Do you think it would've been good as well?" he turned back to her, a small smile on his face. "I would've preferred breaking up with you than hearing from others that you killed yourself. I'd rather see you living, happy with someone else, then stare at your lifeless body in a coffin. Death never solved anything, it's just something that we all think could end our problems, but it's not."

Sasuke heard her continue sobbing that he didn't stop himself from pulling her into a hug, startling her a bit when his hand caressed her pink locks and his other wrapped around her waist protectively, just like he did years back whenever she was sad. "Shh… it's okay Sak, I'm here." He whispered, pulling her closer in his arms, lowering his head a bit with his nose buried in her pink tresses. She clung onto his shirt, her face on his chest as she cried some more, letting it all out. Pushing her away slightly, he gave a smile at her and kissed her forehead. "And I'll always be here."

* * *

He looked at the papers and passed it to the rest after giving a nod, approving the design. Now, it's up to the others to decide whether they'll go with the uniform or not. From under the table, Sasuke took note of her fidgeting, especially with some of the eyes of the gang on her. He took her hand, gripping it and gave her a reassuring smile. She returned the gesture then turned back to face the others.

"I like it!" Chorused Kiba and Naruto. Hinata nodded and smiled, indicating she loved it. Same goes for Ten-Ten, saying it was cute and Shikamaru gave a nod, similar to Neji's reaction earlier. Shino shrugged, saying it was simple. Chouji approved of it and now, it was only Ino left. She smirked and turned to Sakura. "Whether I say yes or no, the votes are in and obviously, everyone approves of it. As for me, I'll be honest with you all." She then grinned. "I love it!"

"Alright then, I just have a few announcements to make, and I'm sure you'll all love to hear what I have to say." Neji said, standing up and clearing his throat as all ears listened to him. "Since we still don't have the uniforms, the café will be closed until the clothes are done. Uncle Hiashi said that we can take a week or so, on the beach house he had recently bought. It has about six rooms that can hold two people so decide on whom you'll share a room with."

"It's pretty obvious that I'll be with Hinata." Naruto grinned. "And I'm sure you'll be with Ten-Ten, and Shino and Kiba will be in one. Shikamaru has Ino and Chouji will-"

"I'd love to, but I can't."

They all turned to Chouji who grinned sheepishly. "My dad is sick, so I have to take care of him while my mom goes to work. Just have fun you guys, besides, it's going to be an odd number if I joined right?"

"Good point." Shikamaru said, yawning afterwards. Naruto sighed and smiled a bit. "So that leaves to Sasuke and Sakura sharing one room as well, right?" he turned to the two who remained quiet as the rest of the gang eyed Naruto with a deadly glare. The blonde clasped a hand over his mouth and muttered a sorry to them. "I figured that… well, since she is sleeping in your room at your house and…"

"I sleep on the couch, not in the same room." The Uchiha said after everyone had looked at him with wide eyes. "I'm fine with sharing a room with her as long as the beds are-"

"They're not separated but it can hold two people." Neji said bluntly. "So it's either you two sleep in the same bed or have your own rooms, since Chouji isn't going, there's an extra one." Sakura looked down and turned back to the male Hyuuga of the room. "Does the room have a night light?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Neji blinked and shook his head. "None, you'll have to sleep with the lights on if you can't sleep in the dark."

"But she can't sleep with bright lights or without any light at all." Sasuke said. Naruto grinned at this, turning it to a laugh. "Then you'll have to share one room!" they both blushed and looked down, glancing at each other from time to time. The blonde boy only grinned some more. "Just like old times."

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Sasuke asked, instantly turning a deeper shade of red. Sakura stuttered, saying they haven't slept in one bed yet. The others just snorted a "yeah right" as Naruto laughed, making them remember. "Oh come on, surely you haven't forgotten the prom night where someone spiked our drinks? We ended up drunk, except for the girls since they preferred water over those sodas and punch." He laughed some more. "Not only that, you," he pointed at Sakura. "Were worried of leaving Sasuke alone at his home, especially since Itachi had to work overtime and his parents were away on a business trip!"

The two exchanged confused looks then turned back to the gang. Neji nodded, supporting Naruto. "Apparently, while Sasuke was asleep, he grabbed Sakura's hand and ended up using her as a pillow." Ten-Ten giggled and faced Sakura. "You didn't want to wake him up or even get out of bed because you didn't want to bother him, but the truth is, you just wanted to snuggle closer!"

"Guys, cut it out…" Sasuke muttered, now recalling that day. Unfortunately, the group only continued to talk about it as well as other hilarious moments about the two of them. He had enough, and he just stood up, startling everyone of his sudden action as he left the room, head lowered and a frown on his lips. The room turned quiet and all felt a bit guilty. "S-sorry Sak, we got carried away and… we sort of, missed the two of you being together…" Ino explained, hanging her head in shame and embarrassment. "Yeah, you two were the first couple in our group, then ended up becoming the matchmakers for all of us, and when we heard the news of… _that _day, we just…" Ten-Ten trailed off, afraid to look at her friend in the eye.

"It's okay guys, he's still too sensitive about it, I can't exactly say if he'll forgive you easily, even if he is the forgive and forget type, it's still a serious and important matter to him about… you know what." She gave a small smile. "But I'll do something about it, he can't stay mad forever after all." She got up, bowed down a bit and left with a wave of her hand.

"We just have to get them back together!" Naruto muttered, earning a nod from the others.

* * *

"Sasuke, hey, wait up!" she yelled, running after his walking figure. He stopped and turned his head to her a bit as she panted, pouting at him afterwards. "I thought you said you'll always be there with me?" he blinked and looked up, suddenly recalling what he had said the day before. "Sorry, I guess I forgot." He got punched on the arm playfully as Sakura smiled, him returning it. He missed her smiles, it was contagious. Even if he was in a bad mood, he just can't seem to bring himself to snap at her or even tell her to leave him alone whenever she smiles.

"That's better." She grinned and took his hand, intertwining his fingers with hers. He mimicked the gesture as they walked out of the café and down the streets, passing by a few people they slightly know and greeting some elders that smiled at them. They continued walking, seeing a group of guys ahead, half-drunk and laughing at something. Sasuke instinctively pulled her behind him, transferring her to his other side, away from the guys and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to him. He continued to eye the guys until they were far from them.

She didn't know what that feeling that suddenly welled up inside her when she felt his arm drape around her shoulder. She felt safe and secure, and it made her smile as she snuggled closer to him, grinning sheepishly at her ex when he looked down at her with raised eyebrows. "What? I just wanted to make you my pillow while walking!" he smirked and shook his head, pulling her closer. "Whatever you say…" and he kissed her on her temple. Unaware were the two how a pair of eyes had followed their every move and had captured their moments together. Smirking, he closed the window of his car and started the engine, driving back to where he came from earlier.

* * *

Sakura lay on top of his bed, staring at the ceiling and blowing away a strand of pink hair that irritated her face. It only came back down and she glared at it, nearly jumping when a hand brushed it away for her. She averted her eyes to the owner to see a slightly smiling Sasuke bent over her body, just a few inches apart from hers. She blinked at their closeness, him not noticing or bothered by it. "Since you were so lazy to just use your hand to brush it away, I figured I'd do it instead. Besides," he grinned at her. "It was getting a bit annoying watching you repeat the same thing over and over."

"You were staring..?" she asked, eyes slowly narrowing.

"What's wrong with that?" he asked back, a smirk grazing his handsome features. She stared back at him, green eyes locked on onyx ones, and she found herself drawn to them, drowning in them. "Nothing…" she whispered, raising a hand to caress his face. His eyes followed her movements leaning onto the warmth of her palm and half-closing his eyes that turned back to her own orbs. "I missed you…" he whispered to her, leaning down a bit, slowly closing his eyes. "Mm, I know." She said back, her eyelids drooping as she felt his lips against hers.

Her hand that caressed his face moved to the back of his head, intertwining her fingers with his spiky jet black hair, playing with it as the other mimicked the gesture, wrapping around him a bit tighter, pulling him down until he gave in and now lay on top of her, lips still locked. He parted slightly, licking her lower lip in a slow manner, asking her to open it and let him in. She obliged, wanting to taste him, wanting him to taste her, after years of being apart. It didn't feel weird for them despite those ten years which seemed like forever. Slowly and teasingly, their tongues danced, happy to meet once more, happy to taste each other again.

Sasuke stopped and pulled away, his eyes averted to the side as she looked at him in confusion. Her hands were still around his neck while his were on both sides of her head, palms pressed against his mattress. "…Suke?" she asked in a sweet and caring tone. When she mentioned his nickname, the one she uses to call him, the one name he responds to when it came from her mouth, he knew immediately that she still had feelings for him. This time, he was sure about it. Earlier, he was afraid, scared to get hurt again, but still, he believed her; he wondered briefly what made him hesitate or stop. "I…" he began, not exactly knowing what to say. "I-I'm…" she placed a finger against his lips, silencing him as he looked at her. "Don't speak." She said, giving a sweet smile.

Despite the questions plaguing his head, he gave a nod, obeying her command as she withdrew her finger and pulled him down again, his eyes closed and so was hers, their lips meeting the second time that day, and they were glad that there were no interruptions. It was, after all, getting annoying.

She felt his hand touch her bare shoulder, moving down slowly up to her waist, feeling him hesitate at what he was about to do. Sakura broke the kiss and smiled at him, nodding as he gave an unsure look at her. She giggled at how shy he could get at times, so with the use of one of her hands, she reached down to touch his and guided him under her spaghetti-strapped shirt; her white jacket discarded earlier, much to her ex's delight. She caught how his face flushed when his hand had a touch of her smooth skin. He turned back to her, with a look that asked if she was sure and she nodded, giving him a reassuring smile.

Sasuke's eyes softened and he leaned down again, this time, on her neck, kissing and licking it, nibbling it a bit in a way that tickled her. He never wanted to hurt her, and biting on her skin like what others do may make her teary-eyed. He knew she was sensitive, and so was her sweet skin. "You still taste the same…" he murmured against her neck and she giggled from the way his lips moved and from what he said. "Well, I know how much you love strawberry, aside from tomato, vanilla and a few more things. I was even thinking on switching to watermelon."

He raised his head to look at her, giving a glare, a joking one at that. "You're tempting me…" she smirked evilly and pulled herself up, kissing him aggressively on the lips and nipping on his ear. "I know, and I want to tempt you some more." She whispered in a seductive tone. Inside, he was panicking and going wild. Her scent and her taste, her seductions and other ways of tempting had him wanting to just forget being nice and start being aggressive. "Come on Sak, this isn't helping at all…" he said.

"So?" she challenged, pushing him down so she was the one on top and trailed wet kisses down to his neck, making him release shallow breaths. "Still can't control your rampaging hormones Suke-kun?" she teased, remembering their high school years when she kissed him and they ended up making out in public. "Damn it!" he cursed and flipped her, pinning her down by holding onto her wrists, smirking at her surprised and widened eyes. "You're asking for it." He hissed and kissed her again, this time, more intense and with a bit more force. His tongue forced her to open her mouth as he explored the insides of her mouth.

One of his hands held onto both of her wrists as the other moved down to her skirt, lifting it up and massaging her thigh, hearing her moan against his mouth. He smirk against her lips and parted, moving down to her neck, licking across her throat as she panted his name over and over, marking her as his, sucking on her skin and kissing it afterwards to ease the slight pain. He removed his hand from under her skirt and went to her shirt, pushing it up and feeling for her two mounds. She gasped and he looked at her as she returned the gaze, staring back at him wide-eyed while he still smirked, cupping one of her breast, earning another moan of ecstasy from her.

Getting impatient, she squirmed under him. Feeling a bit of pity, he let go of her wrists and she pushed him down, glaring at his smirking expression. "You are so mean." He grinned. "I know." They were always like this, one minute the other was dominating or doing the teasing and tempting, the next minute the tables have turned. Somehow, he felt uneasy when she smirked, her eyes told him that she was planning to do something, and it was not good. He felt one of her supple hands slowly make its way up his inner thigh and he felt his pants tighten, strange too, considering the fact that he had worn a loose and baggy type of denim. He blushed and looked at her, this time; his eyes were wide while hers had a smug look.

"Sak, don't…" he said, unfortunately, sounding like a whimper. She grinned and continued to move up. "Don't..!" he said again, reaching to stop her hand when it was only a few inches away from his manhood. "Don't." he said firmly. She smiled at him. "Okay." And he sighed in relief, but. "Not!" and she moved up again, feeling it erect as he blushed a deeper shade of red and stared at her. "Shit." He said. "Revenge is so sweet…" she giggled and let go. "Damn you…" he muttered, cheeks still flushed. "I'm gonna need a cold shower for this." He caught how her eyes lit up and he looked at her in disbelief. "What the hell happened to the Sakura I know who wouldn't even dare to-"

"Let's say a certain raven-haired teen from before had unlocked her un-Sakura self."

"Since when?" he asked.

"Since the day we made out in the janitor's closet after your championship games. By the way, your coach still hasn't gotten his vengeance on you for disappearing all of a sudden." He blinked at her. "I heard from Neji that your coach said a few things like 50 or more laps around the court and double the training and warm-ups for you. Luckily for you though, he forgot about it the next day." She got off of him then pulled him up, dragging him to the showers. "O-Oi S-Sak! What the hell do you think you're doing?" she grinned innocently. "You said you needed a cold shower, and I think I need one too." And before he knew it, he was already inside with her, both completely nude as the cold water rained down on them.

* * *

"Wow, this place is great!" Ino exclaimed when they reached the beach house. "Is this a private beach or public?" Neji shrugged. "Depends actually, but I think it's more on private since there aren't that many people." He looked around, seeing only about ten or fifteen. "Well, come on; let's get our things inside before we take a swim or tan, or something." Naruto grinned, grabbing Hinata's things and carrying it for her. Ten-Ten had took Neji's hand and dragged him inside almost immediately, followed by Ino who pulled Shikamaru who kept muttering "troublesome" all the way. Next was Kiba who brought along his dog, Akamaru, yelling all the way inside with Shino following behind in a quieter manner.

"They sure are hyper…" Sakura murmured, earning a nod from her ex. She smiled at him and held his hand. "Let's go!" and again, he nodded, walking side by side inside the beach house. Just like on the outside, the interior was wide, clean and had a comfy atmosphere. "The rooms are on the third floor, the entertainment and music room on the second, and here on the first floor are the living room and kitchen slash dining area." Neji headed up the stairs. "Feel at home then." Naruto muttered something about bad host and Hinata just giggled, hugging his arm and leading him up the stairs.

"So, are you two sharing a room or what?" Kiba asked, glancing at the two supposed couple. Sakura turned to him then at her ex who shrugged and took his bags, along with his guitar he brought with him. Kiba faced Sakura, raising both eyebrows. She grinned. "Yeah, we're sharing a room." And she too, went up the stairs, tailing behind Sasuke. "I think there's something up between them." Shino murmured to his dog-lover friend and soon climbed the stairs as well. "Yeah, it's slightly obvious."

* * *

"You brought your guitar for what?" she asked, eyeing him as he set it aside along with his bags. "I promised you that I'd sing right? So, maybe I might during our stay here." He said, shrugging. "I see…" she said, digging out a white sleeveless shirt and a pair of jeans. Sasuke just walked over to the balcony and felt the cool breeze blow against his face and hair. He closed his eyes, hearing the sound of waves and sea gulls hovering above the blue ocean. The sky was slowly turning dark since they left at around 3PM and it was already about 5:58PM. His ears picked up the sound of clothes being removed.

Curious, he opened an eye and turned his head to look over his shoulder, only to have both of his eyes open wide and a red tint across his cheeks as he watched his ex remove her top, leaving her only in a white bra. Her back was facing him so she didn't notice him staring at her. Besides, her waist length hair was there to cover some of her bare back. Shaking his head, he turned back to the view before him, only to have his mind be plagued by either a naked Sakura or a Sakura in a two-piece swimsuit. _"Damn hormones!" _he cursed in his mind, his grip on the metal railing tightening and his eyebrows knitted together, eyes glaring at nothing in particular.

"Are you alright?" she asked, startling him when she placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her, clearly shocked when she came up behind him. The girl only blinked at him and shrugged, walking back inside. "Ten-Ten just came a second ago and said that the others are outside, waiting for us and starting a campfire. Oh, and don't get drunk." She added, giggling. "Huh?" he asked, giving her a weird look. "I heard Neji say to Ten-Ten that they brought a case or two, of beer. It's only mild but… you'll never know with Naruto being the one who bought it."

"Hn." He said, following her inside. "Bring your guitar, this usually calls for singing." She grinned and he snorted, picking up the case of the instrument and slung it around his shoulder. He walked towards the door, Sakura beside him as they made their way downstairs and outside to the beach, the cold wind blowing pass them. The others had already formed a circle and were seated on the sand, a fire in the middle and a few chips, snacks and sodas, including beer bottles, readied before them. Naruto moved a bit as Sasuke sat down beside him, next was Sakura when Ino had also moved to give her space.

She eyed them all, most were beside their lovers, except for Shino and Kiba. As for her and Sasuke, she wasn't sure yet, he hasn't asked her if she could be his girlfriend again, and she didn't have enough guts to even ask him about it. "Don't you think it's kind of early to be doing this?" Sasuke asked, positioning his guitar behind him, making sure it wouldn't get damaged despite being inside a case. Naruto shrugged in response to his question. "We kind of missed this, though Chouji isn't here, at least we're almost complete. Before, Sakura wasn't here, and you," he pointed at his best friend. "Always had work because Kakashi won't give you a week or day off!"

"That was because Kiba made up excuses that he can't go to work and because some had caught the flu during the flu season idiot!" he retorted. "Not to mention that my mom still thought it wouldn't do me any good." He glanced at Sakura a bit, letting the others who were watching him know what he meant. "Why?" Sakura asked, clearly clueless. "I don't know, she wouldn't tell me." He lied and she just nodded and eyed the whole group, giving a smile. "So, what do we do?"

"Since all of us have been so busy with our jobs, it's time to do some catching up." Ten-Ten turned to Ino. "So, how are you and Shikamaru doing?" Ino grinned and raised her left hand, showing a ring on her ring finger. "Shika proposed to me two nights ago!" They could hear the lazy-genius mutter a "troublesome" under his breath as Ino continued to explain the details to an excited Ten-Ten, a happy Hinata and a smiling Sakura. "What is it with girls whenever there's an engagement told?" Kiba asked Neji, staring at Ten-Ten and Ino who babbled then at Hinata and Sakura who laughed and giggled at the two. "Don't have a clue." The male Hyuuga murmured.

"Okay, okay, what about you and Naruto?" Ino asked the usually quiet girl who blushed a bit and twiddled with her index fingers, looking away as a small smile formed on her lips. "We… talked about our future, planned our wedding and… how many…" she gulped. "Kids we'd want…" Sakura smiled at this. "That's so cue Hinata!" she exclaimed, looking down all of a sudden as she recalled how she and Sasuke used to talk about those stuffs, only to have a pillow fight, her starting it and him ending it with a kiss to calm her down. Sasuke caught this and smirked, also remembering those days.

The group caught how the two turned quiet that they grinned evilly. "As for me and Neji, we've been discussing the same things as well, he didn't exactly propose but close enough." Ten-Ten shrugged at this and grinned at the eager faces of the girls. "He placed the ring under my pillow with a note. The next day, I answered him, so basically, we're engaged… in a way." She then faced Shino and Kiba.

"How are you two doing?"

"Well, Shino and I are planning to go on a trip sometime in the future to do some bird watching or catch some bugs for his collection. You know, the times we always do when we were kids, oh and before I forget, Shino's actually having an interest on a certain girl." With that said, all eyes turned to Shino who glared at his childhood friend. "Secret huh?" Kiba only laughed. "I couldn't help it buddy!" he then turned to Sasuke. "Enough about us, what about you?"

"Nothing new." He answered bluntly. "Except for Kakashi appointing Sakura as my partner in my career; she's my personal model and I'm her personal photographer." The group blinked and stared at him, wanting more details. "What? She wanted to be a model, so I recommended her and Kakashi assigned her to me. What else do you guys need to know?" Naruto grinned at him and Sasuke didn't like it one bit. "That's it? Something tells me you're not telling us _everything _that happened between the two of you!"

"Hey, let's not get personal Naruto. Nothing is happening."

"Liar."

"Got proof?"

"Argh! Just spill it teme!"

"Fine." And he did spill his drink on Naruto who cursed him while the others laughed. Sasuke smirked in satisfaction. Beside him, Sakura kept staring at him as he continued to counter Naruto. _"He won't tell them, and I won't either. So, where exactly is our relationship going? Sasuke, please tell me." _She stood up and stretched, catching the attention of her friends. "I'm just going to take a walk, I missed this place a lot!" she chirped and started wandering around. Sasuke raised a brow. "Does she even know the way to get back?" his friends shook their heads and he sighed, standing up and dusting sand off of his clothes. "Be right back." And he followed his ex.

"There's definitely something going on between them." Kiba nodded.

* * *

"Sak, wait up." She stopped and turned to him as he walked over to her with his hands in his pockets. "Why? Is something wrong?" he shook his head as they resumed walking. "You don't know how much this place has changed, you might have trouble going back." She stopped in front of him with a sweet smile as he blinked at her. "How sweet…" she cooed and pinched his cheeks hard then laughed and started to run away from him. Sasuke had glared at her and chased the girl, picking up speed when she was pretty far from him. "Damn it Sak, that hurts!" he yelled and she only laughed harder. "I couldn't help it! You weren't suspecting a thing!"

He smirked though when he grabbed her wrist, causing her to look at him with wide eyes. She yelped when he suddenly pinned her down on the sand, hearing the wave's crash and hug the shore. "Are you forgetting that I was MVP in the basketball team back in high school?" she laughed nervously. "Um… no, I just thought that I could outrun you…" He remained on top of her, his hands supporting his weight as she lay on the semi-wet sand, her pink locks sprawled on the ground as the water neared them, getting them slightly wet yet they didn't mind.

"Aren't you getting off of me?"

"No, not until you make up for what you did."

"How?"

"I don't know."

She sighed and sat up, causing him to move backwards a bit. Again, she grinned and tackled him on the sand, pinning him there while his eyes stared at her wide-open. A giggle escaped her lips. "Caught you again." And he couldn't push her off or move since her grip on his arms was too strong. Or maybe because he didn't bother to wriggle free from her grasps. He just continued to stare at her as she raised one hand and brushed off a few pink strands that clung to her face.

With one hand free from her grasp, he flipped her below him and made sure she won't counter again. A playful smirk appeared on his face when she looked at him with shocked eyes. "Caught you Saku…" he whispered teasingly and leaned down, eyes closed and lips locking with hers. She didn't return it so he pulled away and gazed down at her half-lidded eyes. "What's up?" she looked away, avoiding his gaze. He wondered briefly if it was something he said or did that made her… _"Sad..?"_

"Sak-chan…" he said in a loving tone that made her look up, a light blush across her cheeks as he gazed back at her, a small smile on his lips. "You can tell me when you're ready, just know that whatever it is that's bothering you," he grasped her hand and pulled it close to his chest to where his heart is. "I'm here, and will always be." He was about to stand up when she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down, his face almost landing on the sand if he didn't break his fall in the nick of time. He had to, not because of the thought of having sand in his nose and mouth but because of the fact that his body might crush her small frame.

"Can we… stay like this? Even for a short moment?" she asked in a pleading tone.

He glanced at her for a while before giving a nod. "Aa." And he lay down on his back, his arms wide open and welcoming her, inviting her to an embrace. Sakura rolled over, her head now resting on his chest as his arms wrapped around her, protecting her body from the cold breeze. "Thank you…" she murmured, closing her eyes.

* * *

"What the heck is taking those two so long?" Naruto yelled, pacing back and forth while the rest of the gang were playing card games, some munching on chips, some staring at the stars and some watching the waves. No one bothered to respond to the noisy blonde since he's been asking the same question for the past… thirty minutes.

Neji sighed. "He's right though, what _is _taking those two so long to come back?" the others stopped whatever they were doing and turned to face Naruto and Neji who exchanged looks. "Maybe they did some catching up, or talked, or something." Kiba reasoned. "Still, they would've informed us if they wanted to talk in private. They know that we're waiting so…" Naruto trailed off as he turned to Ino who returned the same look. "Could they be making-out?" The blonde boy exclaimed in a gasp but Ino hit him on the head. "That was not what I was thinking." Shikamaru yawned and faced his fiancée.

"Than what were you thinking?"

"That they probably decided to get back together and wanted some alone time."

"Close, but not entirely."

They all turned to the voice as the two sat down on their spots. Sasuke didn't have his black windbreaker on but instead, was draped over Sakura's shoulders. He now only wore a white shirt and his jeans. "Dude, you're hair is full of sand… and slightly wet." Sasuke blinked and ran a hand through his raven locks, brushing off the sand. "That's because someone here tackled me…" he glanced at Sakura with a mocking glare as she grinned back at him.

"Anyway, since it's getting really dark out here," Hinata looked up then back at the group, giving a small smile to Sasuke. "Care to play something for us? Or for Sakura at least?" he blushed slightly and looked up. "Can we do that later? I'm still not in the mood for singing or strumming…" Shino stood up. "It's too dark to go for a swim or have a tan, it's too dangerous to surf or go jet skiing, so, what could we do?"

"Way ahead of you!" Ino grinned and pulled Shikamaru up as he took out a piece of paper. "We could play a few games before we end our so-called get-together out here. Ino suggested the traditional spin the bottle or truth or dare, but most of the guys had groaned and disagreed. So instead, we decided to have a scavenger hunt thing." He gave the paper to Ino as she cleared her throat. "You'll all be split into pairs, each pair will have a flashlight, a first aid kit, some food and water, a whistle, a walkie-talkie and of course, the list of the things to find."

"Don't you think it's too late at night to be doing that?" Naruto asked.

"The reason why there's a flashlight and why you are divided into pairs. This will only take an hour or two to be exact, since you'll only be scavenging around the beach, occasionally, at the forestry area that isn't even inhabited by wild animals. According to Shino and Kiba who scouted the area before, there were only birds, bats and bugs. Besides," Shikamaru paused and brought out his walkie-talkie. "We have communicators in case we get lost or can't move on. The whistle also helps. The person will blow it if he or she is in danger. It's also used when you find something."

"Uh… that would only attract a lot of attention." Neji murmured.

"True, but just stick with the game and the rules!" Ino yelled. "So, the pairs are all obvious." She grinned at Neji and Ten-Ten as Shikamaru handed them the needed "supplies". He gave another to Naruto and Hinata, then Kiba and Shino, and lastly, Sasuke and Sakura. "Shika and I will be waiting here for everyone's arrival. So when you find an item, report it to us and we'll cross it out and inform you guys. The one who has the most items found obviously wins. The one who has the least, we'll tell you once the game is over."

"No fair, what about you two?" Naruto whined.

"Stop being so childish Naruto." Shikamaru yawned again. "We did the trouble for hiding the items and putting up clues." Ino sighed and rolled her eyes. "Anyway, let's get started, ready," the pairs took out their papers. "Set," they laid their eyes on the place they were to go first. "GO!" and the game starts.

* * *

"I can't believe we're still playing this game! We're already twenty-nine years old!" Neji grumbled as he and Ten-Ten made their way to the rocky area of the beach. Ten-Ten only sighed and flashed her light on the dark part, searching for the first item on their list. "Come on Neji, it's going to be hard to find an emerald necklace if you don't help me." She paused. "Wait a minute," she scanned the paper. "Necklace, ring, nail polish, small deer plushie, a game cover of Shogo- These are all Ino and Shukamaru's! They used their own properties for this scavenger hunt!" her partner sighed and took the paper. "In that case, we better start looking."

Ten-Ten looked around as Neji tried to feel for any object on the rocky area. He stopped when his walkie-talkie gave out static and Shikamaru's voice calling his name. "Neji here, what is it?" he asked through the device. "Kiba and Shino found Ino's nail polish, cross that out of your list." Ten-Ten took out a pen and crossed the item out. "So there are only four items left."

"Three." Neji corrected, picking up a necklace that had an emerald pendant. He smirked when Ten-Ten beamed and crossed the item out as he reported to Shikamaru the item he found. They heard a loud yell come form their communicator and Ten-Ten sighed as her fiancé dealt with the noisy blonde male who was paired with his cousin. "Naruto, keep it down."

"But you guys already found some things!"

"There's still three more Naruto!"

"But-"

"Shut up!"

"Fine." And he placed back the object in his backpack and walked over to Hinata who stood there, waiting for him. "That cousin of yours can be really grouchy…" she only giggled and linked her arm with his. "Let's not give up Naruto, according to these clues, a ring is hidden somewhere on the branches of an oak tree." She looked around, flashing her light on the trees surrounding them. "There are a lot of trees here and it's hard to tell which is which in the dark!" he complained and grumbled some more.

"I'm sure we'll find it." She said, trying to calm him down. She can't help but smile though; she always did find him amusing. "I think that one is an oak tree." She said, pointing to the plant a few feet before them. Naruto smiled and nodded. "Okay, I'll climb it and see if I can find the ring." He placed down his bag and started to climb the tall tree, carefully stepping on the thick branches and making sure none would break or it could cause him death or a fatal accident.

"Hey Hinata, can I have some light here?"

She nodded and pointed the flashlight at the direction he wanted it to. He grinned and went over to the shining object. "Hey Shika!" he said through his communicator. "Two more items left! We found the ring!" he picked it up and pocketed the object in his pants. He climbed down the tree and gave Hinata a hug. "If it weren't for your encouragement, we wouldn't have found it!" she only smiled and crossed out the item her fiancé found.

"Yes! We finally found something! Eat that bastard!" he yelled through the walkie-talkie. A "shut up" was what the thing responded and Naruto glared at it and clutched the item tightly. "You're just jealous because we found an item before you and Sakura did!"

Sasuke only sighed and turned off his communicator. "Found it yet?" he asked, watching as Sakura dug through the bushes, flashlight in one hand. "Nope; are they sure that they hid the plush toy here..? We've checked every shrub with white flowers…" her partner only looked up and smirked. "Maybe it's not a shrub but a tree." Sakura blinked. "It's written on the paper." Sasuke took the flashlight and shone it on the bushes that Sakura searched. "White flowers Sak, not yellow." She blinked and blushed lightly, looking away from him as he laughed and offered her his hand.

"But we haven't passed by any bush with white flowers."

"It could be a trick." He took the paper and read the clue. "Search for the plush deer near shrubs with white flowers." He thought for a while before smirking again. "I think I get it. They hid these items in the dark, yellow flowers usually look like white without any light." She nodded in agreement. "But why did you ay tree?" a shrug answered her. "I just assumed, I mean, that tree is the only one with white flowers here." He said, looking up again. "Maybe we should check it out." he handed her the flashlight and the rest of their things. "Guide me up there." And he climbed the tree, making sure the branches he stood and held onto were strong and sturdy.

"Sasuke, I think I see something out of the ordinary."

"Which is?" he asked.

Sakura lighted the area she supposed where the deer plushie was. Sasuke followed the direction of the light and smirked. "Yup, that's it alright." And he approached it, taking it away from the branches. "Contact Shikamaru and let him know; looks like we have a sudden death or tie breaker round." She nodded. "Which means only the Shogo game cover is left." He nodded and jumped down from the tree. "Come on, we have no time to lose."

"Okay guys, you have to return as soon as you can, otherwise, you lose. Shino and Kiba found the last item, so now, it's a race to who gets here first. Remember, the last one will have a consequence." Sakura stared at the device in disbelief as she heard her ex curse. "Shit." And he grabbed her hand and started running back to camp as fast as he can. To him, it wasn't important if he'd win or lose, it's the consequence that's bugging him. _"Damn it! We have got to make it there!" _

"S-Sasuke, s-slow down I can't keep up!"

He thought about it for a moment; and maybe, just this once, or not, he'd forget about his pride if the consequence was to be embarrassing. He slowed down to a walk, his hand not letting go of Sakura's while she stared at him in confusion. "I said slow down, you don't exactly need to walk… I mean… I know how much you hate punishments…" he stopped and so did she as he turned his head to her and smiled slightly, causing her to blink some more. "It doesn't matter, I don't want you to get tired or strain yourself just because of me." Sakura blushed a bit and looked down, lips in a frown. "Why are you always sacrificing for me..?"

Sasuke didn't utter word until they were near their destination. "It's because I love you." And he let go of her hand when Naruto approached and laughed at him, rubbing in his face how they had lost. As for Neji, he raised a brow at the Uchiha who returned it with a questioning look. "Why didn't you run?" The older male asked. In response, he just glanced at Sakura then shrugged and took the bottled water Shino offered him. Neji seemed to understand what he meant and dismissed it with a smirk, walking over to Shikamaru to explain why Sasuke didn't run.

"So, now can you sing?" Ten-Ten asked, looking at Sasuke just when he sat down on the sand. He shook his head a bit but the rest only pleaded him. "I don't want to…" he muttered, a blush across his cheeks. Naruto only grinned and forced him. He sighed and the others took it as a yes.

Everyone had started to gather around the campfire, ready to listen to Sasuke. He was going to fulfill his promise to Sakura that he'll sing for her, no matter who will be there to listen. He smiled slightly from his friends' encouragement and pleads that he brought out his guitar from its case and tuned it. "As you all know, this song is dedicated to Sakura."

He started to strum the right chords, occasionally plucking. "If I had to live my life without you near me, the days would all be empty." They all listened, some glancing at Sakura and some leaning on their lovers' shoulders, sighing at the sweet music as the sole Uchiha of the group continued his song. "Nothing's gonna change my love for you, you ought to know by now how much I love you, on thing you can be sure of, I'll never ask for more than your love." Sakura closed her eyes and listened, taking the lyrics to heart.

* * *

"_The world may change my whole life through but nothing's gonna change my love for you." _

That one sentence, that one verse… it had hit a spot in her heart. She lay down there, thinking of a few things, mostly revolving around one boy. She turned to the bathroom's door when it opened, Sasuke emerging from it with a towel he used to wipe his face. She sighed silently and looked back up at the ceiling, feeling him sit on the bed and get ready to turn off the lights. "Will you be able to sleep in the dark?" he asked, glancing at her.

Sakura rolled over so that she was now facing him and gave a nod. He switched off the lights and lay down beside her, his back facing her but he felt her hand tug on his shirt. Immediately, he knew what she wanted and he faced her with a small smile, his arms inviting her again. She snuggled close, feeing his warmth radiate to her. She lways felt safe and secure in his arms, and she was glad that even if they came to the campfire last, Shikamaru and Ino had dismissed their consequence as nothing but a boost of determination.

Sakura didn't close her eyes but just stared at his supposed sleeping face. She knew he was still awake and she wanted to talk or tell him, but somehow, she just couldn't. "You ready to tell me yet or not?" he asked, eyes still closed, startling her a bit. She looked down and then back at him when he slowly opened his eyes to take a look at her face. "Sak..?"

"I want to say it but… I'm scared…"

"Of what?"

"Of what my dad might do if he finds out."

He only sighed and wrapped his arms around her tightly, pulling her closer and sniffing her strawberry-scented hair. "Is that all?" he asked. She clutched onto his shirt and buried her face on his shirt. She didn't know what to say, she was still unsure and afraid. "I don't care anymore." He whispered and made her look at him. His eyes held that of longing and determination. "I'm not going to let him get in the way Sakura, I'm not who he thinks I am."

"But I don't know what he might do to you."

"I still don't care," he held her closer again. "If I have to endure a lot of pain just to see you or spend time with you, so be it. I'm sick of playing by his rules. This time," she looked at him, waiting for her to continue. "I'm rebelling." And he closed the gap of their lips as he moved, positioning himself above her. She returned the kiss, her tongue shyly sticking out to meet his. Still, it was confusing her a bit. Does he want to get back together? If so, why won't he ask?

Sakura was about to consult him when she got interrupted when his hand had invaded below her shirt, calloused fingers touching and feeling her smooth skin. She gasped when he sucked onto her neck, licking it a bit to ease the pain. She raised a hand and rested it on his shoulder, pushing him away a bit and glancing away. Sasuke looked at her as she turned to face him again. "I need to know…" she started. "Are we..?" she trailed off when he leaned down to capture her lips against, this time, she no longer resisted.

Sasuke parted and stared at her lovingly, Sakura returning the same gaze. He opened his mouth to speak, and it was the words she so wanted him to ask for a long time since she returned back from the States. "Can we start over?" and she didn't need to say anything to confirm his question, since actions did speak louder then words, and that kiss from her was enough to express and explain her answer which was a "Yes".

_**To be continued…

* * *

**_

_Next on Snapshot: Chapter 5: An Uchiha is Headstrong_

There was something different about his eyes, and it disturbed him. Something was going on and his daughter had lied to him. However, he had things planned out, but what he didn't expect was that this boy actually had the guts to fight back. Somehow, he finally figured what an Uchiha is capable of. "An Uchiha is Headstrong. Remember that, Haruno Ikichi-san." And he walked off, taking Sakura with him, a satisfied smirk on his lips.

* * *

_A/N: So, any ideas on what could happen during that encounter? As for the fanfic challenge, is there anyone who has the patience and perseverance to create a good Naruto x-over The Matrix fic? In short, a "Narutrix" fic. It's not AU or modernized, still the ninja world. If you're interested yet have difficulty in understanding, let me know and I'll help you out or give you a few tips and ideas on it. I'd do it myself but I've got four more pending fics and plus, this one and Fallen. _


	5. An Uchiha is Headstrong

_A/N: In Yakuza, you were all mad at Sasuke's dad, now, you're all mad at Sakura's dad! Isn't that lovely? Hehe. Thanks by the way for those who answered my fanfic challenge! By the way, with the many songs in this story, I decided to do an OST of Snapshot! Haha! I was bored when I did this by the way. So if you want to know the songs, tell me and I'll post it in the next chapter or send it to you in a private message.

* * *

_

**Snapshot**

He woke up from the sound of crashing waves and the chirping of sea gulls. His eyes looked at his side, seeing no one lying beside him. Slowly, he sat up and faced the balcony, where his roommate was, her back facing him, her hair swaying with the wind. He looked closely, seeing a smile on her face as his lips curved up as well. He got out of bed and walked over to her, startling her when he wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face on the crook of her neck. "Morning Sak…" he murmured. Sakura smiled at this and turned her head to the side, her lips near his ear. "Morning Suke."

"What time did you wake up?"

"Just a few minutes ago."

"Hey, you two!"

They both looked down and saw Naruto in his orange board shorts, waving at them with one hand while the other held onto a surfboard. "Come on down for breakfast outdoors!" Sasuke smirked and yelled back. "Hold up, are you sure you're Naruto? Because the real Naruto that I know wouldn't be awake at this time! It's still too early." True as it is, it was only 7:15 AM, and if anyone knew Naruto better, it was either Hinata or Sasuke. And boy, Naruto doesn't wake up at this time. "Shut your trap and get down already! The waves are high!" The couple looked at the ocean and sure enough, the waves were high. She smiled and turned to her boyfriend. "Come on then! I know how much you're crazy about surfing!" she received a poke on the forehead. "That's basketball and snowboarding, but what the heck, let's go."

* * *

_**Chapter 5: An Uchiha is Headstrong**_

Heaven; it was simply pure bliss for the whole gang: nothing but clear blue skies, the sound of waves, the sun glistening on your skin and the fresh smell of salty air. The girls were having a little talk at the same time lying under the sun for a bit of a tan. Kiba and Neji were having a race through swimming with Shikamaru as referee, Shino was reading a book and the two best friends were surfing, bickering on who's the best.

"I beat you and you know it!" Naruto said, grinning while his hands were on the side of his waist. "If I knew, then why would I still be arguing with you about it?" Sasuke countered; the surfboard underneath one of his arms. "Come on, let's go take a break. We've been at it since an hour ago." He said, glancing at his waterproof wrist watch. Naruto nodded at this as both headed back to shore and joined Shino who sat near the food table. "Hey Shino, what're you reading?" the blonde sat down and took a piece of toast. "Five people you meet in Heaven." He answered and continued reading.

"Oh shit, I forgot my phone." Sasuke muttered and got up, heading back inside the rest house to retrieve his mobile. "Geez Sasuke, you're on vacation! Don't bother about phone calls or messages for a while!" the Uchiha stopped and looked at his friend in bewilderment. "Idiot, I could loose my job for that. And besides, Itachi might be calling or my parents may have some urgent things to say. You'll never know." And he continued walking inside.

He reached his flip phone and opened the flap, checking his messages or missed calls. "Damn, five missed calls and ten messages…" he sweat dropped and checked who the callers were. "One from Itachi, one from dad, two from mom and one from Kakashi." He then read the messages.

Itachi- Bro, what's up? How come you're not answering your phone?

Dad- Your mom is getting paranoid here… give us a call once you receive this message.

Dad- PS. Your mom is driving me crazy…

Sasuke laughed a bit, imagining his mom running around the house, trying to call the police or anything, thinking that he was in danger or kidnapped. _"Mom is too overprotective of me…" _and he read the remaining seven messages; two of which were only funny quotes from his brother. _"He's bored…" _he thought when he read the messages. His brother only did send him quotes when he was bored. The three messages came from his mom, asking if he was okay, how he was etc. The last two, on the other hand, were from Kakashi, one telling him about what's been going on and the most recent one: "You and Sakura better get here fast. It's an emergency."

Knitting his brows, he closed the flap of his cell and went to the balcony, calling Sakura over as the girl excused herself form her gal pals and ran inside, climbed the stairs and entered the room. "What's up?" she asked, walking over to Sasuke who was in his pants and putting on a shirt. "Get changed and start packing. Kakashi needs us over at the studio, now." With a confused look, she put on some clothes and packed her bags. "Why? What does he want?" a shrug answered her as Sasuke put on his black polo over his shirt and picked up his backpack. "All I know is if Kakashi says it's an emergency, it's really an emergency."

* * *

"What?" he asked, his voice sounding dull and his eyes narrowing dangerously. His fists were clenched and he was ready to punch the living daylights out of the man before him. "Well, you see… we're one model short and there's going to be a party tonight to have negotiation business with another company of the boss. Plus, our models will be needed to parade the stage with new outfits released by our designers." Sasuke glared dangerously at Kakashi. "You said it was an emergency…" 

"It is." He grinned.

"We're only here for substitution…"

"Yeah but that's important!"

"It is to you…"

Sakura wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's and smiled at him then turned to Kakashi. "No problem Kakashi-san! We'll be there!" the older man smiled at her. "Great! Oh, and be sure you know how to dance. With a look like yours, men will be asking you for a dance number. It is, after all, a formal party." She blinked and looked down, gulping. "Y-yeah…" they were dismissed then and Sasuke took note of her sudden silence. She looked up at him with waterfall tears. "I don't know how to dance…" Sasuke smirked and took her hand. "I can teach you."

"Really? Where?"

"You'll see." And he led her to a road where she wasn't familiar with. Sasuke noted how they were being followed, and it just so happens that that guy has a camera with him. Without thinking it over, he stopped abruptly in a deserted place and turned around. "I'm not a professional photographer for nothing you know." Sakura blinked and turned to where her boyfriend was facing. A man clad in all black with a hat on his head and a camera on one hand stood before them, muttering a curse for being caught.

"Why are you following us?"

"It's none of your concern really. I was paid to do this. You should know; you are a photographer." Sasuke remained impassive. "Yeah but I don't accept payment or any job that involves stalking. I'm a pro at candid shots and formal shots, I can also do better than any paparazzi but I'm not one to take pictures of people because I get paid to _stalk _them like you."

"Well, I already got what I wanted anyway, I guess I better go." When he was about to leave, Sasuke ran to him and grabbed the camera tossing it to Sakura who almost dropped it but managed to catch the object. He stopped the guy who tried to get his camera back. "Hey, I could report this as stealing!" Sasuke smirked and held him back. "I could report it as stalking. Besides, I think Kakashi can get me out of this mess even if you do report it. Now," he had the man on the ground, face down, as he pulled on his arm backwards, threatening to break it. "It's time for interrogating. Who are you, who do you work for and why are you doing this?"

"Like I said… it's none of your-" Sasuke pulled on his arm once more, earning a yelp from the stalker as Sakura stared at them, camera in hand. Sasuke looked at Sakura. "Check the pictures." She nodded and browsed through the file, eyes widening at every picture. "H-How…" the spy smirked at this. "Even if you do delete them, I've already uploaded what was taken yesterday and sent them to your father, Haruno Ikichi." Her pupils dilated as she stared at the man, her fingers slowly slipping its hold on the camera as it fell and smashed into chunks and bits. "My father is… here..? But he said he wouldn't go here! You're lying!"

"Why don't you wait for his call? Or maybe you'd like me to call him for you?"

"_No way! He said he wouldn't go! He said he…" _she shut her eyes when she felt tears well up in her eyes then started to run away as she cried. Sasuke let go of the guy, completely forgetting about him and ran after Sakura, at the same time calling out her name. Their "stalker" got up, dusted himself, gathered the bits of his camera and left to report what happened today, all the while thinking about the two lovers.

"Sakura! Oi, Sak!" he reached her and grabbed onto her arm as she tried to break free, telling him to let go while still crying. He only narrowed his eyes and pulled her to a hug, making her startled at the sudden action. "I already told you before," he whispered and glanced down at her as she looked up. "I'll always be here." With the use of his index finger, he wiped her tears away and gave a small smile. "Come on."

Before she could even reply, her phone started to ring and she took it out, frowning upon seeing the name of the caller. "It's my dad…" she murmured when she saw Sasuke's raised eyebrow. "Yes dad?" she answered. "I want you over here right now. I need to have a few words with you." She sighed. "But dad-" Sasuke smiled slightly and took her phone, earning a questioning gaze from her. "Ikichi-san, sorry to say this but Sakura can't go right now, she has an important meeting with me and Hatake Kakashi. I'm sure you've heard of him?"

"What the- Uchiha, give the phone back to my daughter this instant!"

"No can do, she's in the comfort room." He said, grinning as Sakura stifled a laugh of her own. "Anyway, it's good to know you're alright sir, bye." And he hung up, turned off her phone then handed it back to her. "You're so evil!" he smirked and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. "I know." And kissed her there then led her to their destination.

"But why did you do that?"

"I thought you needed a break." He soon stopped and looked at the gates before them. "We're here." Sakura followed his gaze and her eyes widened at the view. She opened her mouth but closed it again as the guard saw them and opened the gates. He greeted the couple with a smile. "Good Morning Uchiha-san and…" he trailed off, glancing at Sakura. "Haruno Sakura." Sasuke answered, grinning as the guard nodded and finished his acknowledgement. Sakura continued gaping at the mansion before them, her eyes turning to the bed of red and white flowers in the middle where a small fountain was also placed for added decoration. She gasped. "Don't tell me this is where you used to live!"

"Well, in a way, yes."

"B-but… why didn't you tell me you were _this _rich? Heck, you're richer than my dad! He would've accepted you soon!" she faced Sasuke who only smiled at her in amusement. "First of all, my parents were afraid that some students in school might befriend and use me only because of my status as a rich Uchiha. Secondly, fans. Third, there are some corrupt teachers that could bribe or use me for money. You get the idea." Sakura nodded at this. "My dad didn't bother; he probably thought that I'd get a rich guy as my boyfriend." She grinned at Sasuke. "And it turns out that my Sasu-kun _is _a rich guy." She laughed and he did too as they entered the mansion. "Okay, so what about the house that you and your family used to live in when we were in high school? And why did you bring me here?"

"That house was one of the many houses that dad bought, don't ask why. I brought you here because I'm going to teach you how to dance. Besides, there's a bigger space here than in my apartment, if you could call it that." He shrugged and led her to the living room. "Sit down for a while, I'm jut gonna go see mom. It's her 'day-off' today." Sakura nodded and sat down. "You want anything to drink?" he asked and she just shook her head. He bent down and kissed her on the forehead. "I'll be back." And he went up the marble staircase.

Sakura looked around then started to think about a few things. So Sasuke was rich, and if her father knew about it, then he wouldn't be against their relationship. She sighed, feeling annoyed at her father for being picky. _"He doesn't even care about who I love. Where's the happiness and love in that? Sheesh." _

_Woof!_

"Huh?"

A dog jumped on her and started licking her face. "H-Haru? What are you doing here?" she pushed the dog away and patted its head. "I brought him with me when we visited you last time. Sasuke said he needed a shot and besides, you two were supposed to be on vacation yet… you're here." She looked up to see a grinning Itachi with his arms crossed and in his doctor outfit. "Before you ask, I am both a human and animal doctor." She nodded and mouthed a "whoa" to him which made him chuckle. "So, are you two back together yet or not?" she blushed, smiled and looked down. Itachi's eyes widened. "You're…" she nodded. "That's great! I was starting to worry about who my sister-in-law is going to be but now that you two are back, I can be rest assured then!" he grinned again.

"That is… if my dad doesn't interfere."

"…your dad is here? But I thought you told me that he wasn't-"

"He lied to me…" she blinked away her tears. "He doesn't trust me… but I guess I lied to him too. But my whole purpose of going back here was Suke… yet I promised him that I won't be seeing Sasuke ever again… but I was already lying…" Itachi placed a hand on her shoulder, making her look up at him as he smiled slightly. "Don't worry; my brother's going to be there, and so will I, mom and dad. We're going to back you up." She wiped her tears away and returned the small smile. "Mm…"

* * *

"Come on Sak, you weren't this bad during prom night." 

She huffed and sat down on the wooden floor, bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them, pouting at the process. Sasuke sweat dropped and gave a small smile, offering a hand to her. She looked up at him. "May I ask the princess for a dance?" his voice was smooth and cool, as she looked into his eyes and absent-mindedly took his hand. He pulled her up and positioned the two of them. "This is called the waltz." He whispered in her ear and began to move with the beat of the music.

Sakura just followed his lead, her eyes lingering on his as he instructed, drowning in them, feeling lost in those onyx eyes. She felt light-headed at that time, wanting to lean in closer to him. He sensed it and let her head rest on his chest as the next music played a slow love song, "Now and Forever". "You know, this isn't the kind of dance in the party tonight…" he whispered. "I know…" she replied but still stayed in the same position. The song continued to play a melodious tune, lulling the two to close their eyes and relax, the walls of the empty room echoing nothing but the lyrics of the music, their light steps blending in with the rhythm.

Sasuke opened his eyes and glanced at the radio, smirking when he saw the number of the music and knowing what the next song would be. Once it ended, he pushed her away gently, earning a surprised look from Sakura when he said. "And this is the tango…" and the song "Sway" started playing. She gasped when he pulled her again, her back facing him as she looked up at him when his hands started to roam down to her waist, brushing his fingers at her side, including her bust's sides. A blush adorned her cheeks when their gazes locked, his eyes serious and his lips forming a smirk.

"_Damn it! He's so good at dancing!" _she cheered in her mind, her inner self going wild and crazy. "You know," he said, pushing off her white cardigan, leaving her dressed in a baby blue spaghetti strap dress that reached an inch below her knees, the hem of the skirt having ruffles as a design. Her white stilettos had her standing nearly his height, her nose just a centimeter below his when she stood tall. "You'll have trouble dancing when you still have your jacket on." And he tossed it aside and pulled her back again, swaying to the beat, twirling her at times and pulling her body close to his, dancing an aggressive number.

She felt lost when she looked back in his eyes, despite the room being air-conditioned, she could feel sweat trickle down her forehead, some strands of her hair clinging to her neck. Sakura was beginning to give shallow breaths, her eyes were half-closed and her lips parted slightly. Again, he smirked made sure she was getting the hang of the dance as the song ended soon. She panted and fell to her knees, gasping for air as he bent down, hands on knees, one eye closed while the other looked at her. "You okay?"

A smile graced her lips and she nodded, still panting for air. "That was one tiring dance…" he offered her a hand, pulling her up to her feet as he tugged on the collar of his white shirt, took his black polo and put it on. "But at least you got it." She grinned at him. "I have a great teacher!" he smiled slightly and brushed away the strands of hair on her face. "Get some rest then, it's going to be a long night later on." She took his hand and picked up her jacket, pulling him out the door. "Are you sure you're tired?" she giggled when they reached his old room in the mansion. Rolling his eyes, he opened the door for her as she entered and he followed, closing the door behind him.

"Blue… as always…" she said, grinning some more. He shrugged and sat down on the bed, sighing as she jumped on it and looked at him with a childish grin. He smirked and shook his head, lying down and closing his eyes. Sakura bent down, hovering above him, her arms supporting her weight as her long hair somehow tickled his face. "You can lie down you know…" he said, not opening his eyes to look at her. "Yeah, but I want to watch you sleep."

"As if you don't do that before…"

"Well, I'll do it again."

"No, just get some rest."

"I don't want to."

He opened his eyes and sat up, narrowing his orbs at her as she continued giggling. She stuck her tongue out at his facial expression until her eyes shot wide when he had captured her mouth in his, sucking on her tongue and pushing both their bodies onto the bed, with him on top. He parted, looking at her with a smirk. "Are you going to sleep now?" she glared and looked away. "No? Then I guess I'll continue." She bit her bottom lip when he kissed her neck and began to suck on it, causing her to squirm under him, her fists clenched while his still grasped on her wrists, securing them above her head.

"Sleep or this?" he asked again. Sakura moaned and pulled him closer, giving him her answer. He smirked and pulled away, shaking his head. "No can do Sak, we're going to be busy later, now get some rest." She pouted but again, he didn't buy it. "No means no Sak. Go to sleep." And he pulled the covers over them both, his arms wrapping around her waist as she snuggled to him. "You're not fair…" he smirked in reply and tightened his hold. She sighed. "At least you're here…" she murmured, closing her eyes as she rested her head on his chest, his heart beat lulling her to sleep.

* * *

It was held outside, where waiters were serving food and drinks to people who sat down and waited for the gourmet. The night sky was clear, showing bright stars twinkling, the moon was full, illuminating the dark night. The garden was beautiful, lights adding to its beauty, tablecloths were red, speakers were placed on the right positions, the DJ playing a few songs, a crew handling the sound effects, the stage where models would parade later on and the lighting. 

The whole place was extravagant. Rich clients, guests and negotiators were present, all dressed in a not-so modest attire. Some had theirs custom made or coming from another country. Sakura seemed to be slightly awed at the sight of celebrities and singers around the place, her arms were linked with her boyfriend as they continued to walk and look around. "Where the hell is Kakashi?" Sasuke asked, looking around. The presence of the other people didn't seem to amaze him. All that mattered right now was that they find their manager and settle a few things. "This suit is killing me…" he murmured, tugging on his collar, earning a giggle from his companion.

"You didn't even button the black coat," she smiled. "And I still think it makes you look better-looking than ever!"

A smirk crossed his lips as he turned to her. "Well, you're not so bad yourself." He said, eyeing her from head to toe. She had on a red halter dress that reached five inches below her knees with matching red stiletto heels. Her pink hair was in a bun, held by a pair of black chopsticks which Mikoto had lent her. She also had silver dangling earrings and of course, the silver tag necklace that he bought for her years back. Her lips had a glossy pink color, her face having light make-up, making her look simple yet elegant, or in other words, strikingly beautiful.

She blushed and looked down, a small smile on her face. She did take a lot of time preparing, with the help of his mom of course, and it was all worth it. _"Yeah, I really spent so much time to look good for him…" _she glanced at him for a moment then back at the ground. "Hey Sak, heads up, not down." He instructed as she gave a nod and held her head high. _"Still, all this work will be gone later once the modeling of new clothes starts…" _she sighed.

"What's up?" he asked her.

"It's just that, it's going to be a long night…"

"I told you that earlier didn't I?" she nodded. "Let's just… enjoy… even for a bit." He muttered, looking for any sign of spiked up silver hair. "Found him." He whispered to his girl, leading her towards Kakashi who sensed them and gave a smile. "Hey, glad you could make it! I was beginning to worry that you wouldn't." Sasuke grimaced. _"I was supposed to ditch you but no… that could cost me my job…" _he forced a small smile and nodded. "I couldn't let you down now could I?"

"That's what makes me so relieved!" Kakashi led them to a few tables, introducing the two to his old colleagues and other people he knew and have met before. "Ah, so this is Uchiha Sasuke…" said one woman, standing up and shaking hands with the pro photographer. "I've heard so many things about you from Kakashi." She turned to the pink-haired girl beside him. "And you must be that new model of his, Haruno Sakura." She smiled. "You really do fit together," her eyes turned to Sakura then to Sasuke. "I'll be looking forward to your new pictures Uchiha-san." Sasuke forced a slight smile, nodding to the woman who sat back down. _"I can't take this anymore…" _

Kakashi then led them to a table full of celebrities where Sakura tightened her hold on Sasuke's arm, her heart beating faster upon seeing famous actors, actresses and models alike. "Whoa…" he laughed a bit and grinned at her facial expression. "Better get used to them soon Sak, you're now a model."

* * *

An hour passed and the three sat down, much to Sasuke's delight, then began to discuss and eat. "So Sakura, did Sasuke teach you how to dance or what?" Kakashi asked, grinning as the couple blushed a bit and turned away. "I'd like to see the two of you dance, that's why," he raised a hand to the DJ, giving a signal. "I personally assigned a dance number for the two of you." 

"What the hell? Kakashi!" Sasuke stood up, clenching his fists and glaring at the older man who chuckled. "You didn't say anything about this!" he said, hearing a _very _familiar music play. Sakura's eyes widened. _"Hang on! This is the same song that was playing earlier when he taught me the tango!" _and sure enough, "Sway" was playing once again. Without any choice since the spotlight had intentionally hit them, Sasuke offered a hand to the girl who nervously took it, unsure if she should do this or not.

"Follow my lead if you get lost." He whispered to her ear before they reached the dance floor, all eyes eagerly watching them. One hand clasped with hers, the other around her waist while her other free hand wrapped around his neck. She gulped as the beat started and kept going, refraining her head from lowering and keeping her eyes on his. She decided to keep her thoughts preoccupied by observing him instead. _"For someone who didn't expect this to happen, he sure is cool and confident about this…" _a small smile formed on her lips, finding the courage to dance with just one look into his eyes. _"He was dubbed as the 'three-C guy' back in high school. Always Calm, Cool and Confident; those three Cs were after all, one of the things that attracted me to him." _

Sasuke gazed into her emerald orbs, forgetting about his surroundings, not minding how the people watched them in awe, how average photographers took their picture and how girls squealed- _"Wait a minute? I'm still attracting fans here? Crap!" _he shook the thought away inwardly and concentrated on Sakura and their dance, making a mental note to beat up Kakashi afterwards.

Despite how angered he is at the silver-haired man, it subsided until it completely died down when he saw her smile, just in time with the next song that played entitled "When I see you smile". He stopped all of a sudden, not seeming to care since there were people who were starting to dance, covering them, and hiding them from the viewers who would've noticed his abrupt halt in dancing. Sakura stared at him with a confused look when he turned around and walked elsewhere, not knowing that the girl followed him.

_Sometimes I wonder  
If I'd ever make it through  
Through this world without having you  
I just wouldn't have a clue_

"_How did Kakashi get that song? Did Neji or Naruto help him? Did nii-san hand it to him? I just composed that song… we only recorded it once but… how did he get a copy? I didn't give him one yet…" _That wasn't the real reason why he walked away, but just the mere fact that Sakura was there, and she would, rather, could recognize his voice when he sang. "Sasuke!" he stopped when he was far from the crowd, standing in the middle of the backyard, where the place was equally lighted to where he came from, yet no one else was around but him and Sakura.

"What's wrong? It isn't like you to just stop and walk away without saying anything."

He remained silent, glancing at her as she walked closer to him, hands clasped behind her as her gaze traveled upwards, staring at the night sky. "Wow… great view…" she whispered to herself, twirling around a bit and stopping as she saw a fountain nearby. With a smile, she skipped towards it, bending down to take a look at her reflection and taking a seat on the border that surrounded the fountain, preventing the water from escaping it. Sasuke only stared at her as she looked at him, her smile turning to a sad and worried look. "Sasuke..?"

His feet walked over to her, head hung low and stopping right in front of her as he averted his gaze elsewhere. Sakura couldn't figure out his behavior so she stood up and looked at him in the eyes. "Hey, what's wrong?" he didn't say anything, nor did he look at her. She sighed and forced a smile. "Funny though, when we were dancing, the next song that played, the singer sounded like you. For some strange reason, I thought you composed a new song and is really the one singing it but then, you didn't-"

Sasuke didn't even hear a word she said but only stared at her as she continued ranting, her shoulders going up and down when she laughed at a few things she said, her lips still a glossy pink, her hair still in perfect order yet a few strands clung to her skin due to the sweat her body produced after their heated dance of tango. Her hands were still clasped behind her back, green eyes looking elsewhere as she continued talking, eyelids closing at times and opening again as her gaze turned to the stars.

_When I see you smile  
I can face the world oh, oh  
You know I can do anything  
When I see you smile  
I see you ready to fly oh, oh  
I see you shining right through the rain  
When I see you smile  
Oh baby when I see you smile at me_

Slowly, his eyelids felt heavy as he leaned closer to her, his right hand reaching up to her face, startling her when he began to caress her cheek, his other hand wrapping securely around her waist as his eyes fully closed and his lips centimeters away from hers. A smile adorned her face and she wrapped her arms around his neck, closing the gap for him when her eyes closed. He tasted her lips; a sweet flavor of watermelon, her newly bought lip balm. He nibbled on her lower lip as Sakura parted her lips, her tongue sticking out a bit when his greeted hers.

He pulled away and kissed her forehead lightly, his right hand going down to her waist to pull Sakura into an embrace. He buried his nose in her rosette pink hair, inhaling the addicting scent. "When I see you smile…" he whispered, singing softly as she leaned her head onto the crook of his neck, the two swaying to his song. "I can face the world…" he continued, his eyes closing once more, mimicking hers. "You know that I can do anything…" she finally understood why he walked away. Sasuke was often sensitive to his own songs, especially when they were mostly inspired by her presence or absence.

"Silly Suke…" she whispered. _"If you're so sensitive, why do you keep singing and composing these songs?" _he pulled her closer to his body, reliving the memories of their moments in the past. "Baby when I see you smile at me…" he ended, trailing off and savoring what they were doing. "Love you…" she whispered, pulling away and looking up at him. He smiled and kissed her softly. "Love you too…"

* * *

"And now, we will be having our models walk down the stage with newly designed clothes by our very own designers!" the emcee announced as two women stepped out in their original outfits, posing for the camera and walking back in. A few more walked out of the backstage as the previous ones quickly changed into their next clothes. Sakura took a deep breathe in, realizing that she was next. Kurenai, who was beside her, boosted her spirits, cheering her on and applying final touches to her. Sakura smiled and walked out of the backstage, stepping out and walking confidently towards the front, hearing the gasps and awes from the audience. 

Her eyes caught her boyfriend's who smiled at her and did his job of taking her picture. She looked at him directly, posed, and twirled then went back inside, letting out a sigh of relief when she reached the backstage. Kurenai quickly pulled her into the dressing room, grabbing the new set of clothes from Tsunade and told Sakura to change into them. Sakura blushed when she was eyeing herself in the mirror.

"_Sasuke will kill me for this…" _she thought. Her clothes were revealing, yet she's seen worst but she always did feel uncomfortable with clothes like these. But she was a model, she shouldn't be embarrassed or shy on what she wears. At least she isn't going to walk out in a bikini like the other girls whom Tsunade called as flirts and at times, sluts.

"_Feh, they flirted with your boyfriend." _She remembered Tsunade say. _"But I've got to hang it to him, he didn't seem to be affected by their batting eyelashes or choice of clothing." _Sakura smiled to herself. _"I guess I really am lucky to have fallen for him and him for me." _She stepped out of the dressing room, earning a look of awe from her two tutors who quickly pushed her to the stage. She forced a smile, trying to fight her awkward behavior when all eyes were on her, she shivered involuntarily when she felt lust or the auras of some perverted men. _"Damn it! I hate wearing a tube top and a really short skirt when in heels!" _although it sounded plain, the designs were definitely what caught some fashion designers eyes.

Sasuke gaped, almost dropping the camera when he saw his girlfriend on stage, walking in _almost _nothing. A vein popped at the side of his head but he smirked when he noticed how fast she walked back inside. _"Heh, I guess she's not used to it." _He fixed his digicam, zooming in and out at times. _"Good thing Kakashi allowed me to change into my casual clothes." _He thought. Sure enough, he was wearing his typical outfit as Sakura would call it. _"At least I'll look like a real photographer instead of some rich client in a tux."

* * *

_

Time passed and it was the final round: the showing of kimonos. Sakura breathed in and out, giving a determined look as she wiped a sweat away from her brows. She fixed her waist length hair a bit as Kurenai combed and tied it to a half-pony tail style. Tsunade fixed her white yukata, fumbling on her red obi, making sure she wouldn't stumble with the long length of the dress. Pink cherry petals adorned the white kimono, making the clothing suit her because of her namesake. Kurenai took a navy blue Japanese umbrella, handing it to her as Tsunade took a red rose and placed it on her hair. She then trimmed a few of her pink bangs; her ears exposed a pair of white gold dangling earrings.

They applied final touches, not putting lipstick but instead, a lip gloss over her lip balm, powdered her cheeks a bit, letting her shine and look outstanding. Tsunade smiled at her. "You look like a princess Sakura." She commented and Kurenai nodded, proud of their work and their student. "Now go knock the audience off of their seats!" The raven haired woman winked. Sakura was about to go when she stopped and headed back to a mini table, snatching the silver tag necklace and putting it on. The two women stared at her as she gave a small smile, clutching the pendant close to her heart. "I never did go anywhere or do anything without wearing this." She closed her eyes and clasped her hands together, looking like she was praying.

Some of the models who passed by stared at her in awe, admiring her beauty. They were stunned and awed of how a newbie model like her had walked out of the stage with such confidence and air of superiority, keeping the audience glued to their seats and eyes on her. While there were some who liked the girl, some detested Sakura. One of them is none other than Aimi Yukiko. She was the top model, yet had a snobbish and bratty attitude. Also one of the girls who had taken an interest to Sasuke and had tried yet failed miserably to get his attention or to even have him.

Yukiko was enraged after hearing and knowing that Sasuke had recommended this newbie in the studio and was even partnered to him, and worst of all, she was his girlfriend! It aggravated her to no end. She cursed Haruno Sakura, loathed her for gaining the attention of many who once worshipped the ground she walked on. Now, almost every girl in the studio talked to her, crowded around her. _"That bitch took everything I owned!" _she thought fiercely, an evil smirk playing on her lips. _"I'll end your modeling career tonight!" _

Sakura hid the necklace inside of her kimono and opened the umbrella as she walked out of the stage in a slow and graceful manner. Her expression had a serene look, her simplicity and elegance having the men and women stare at her beauty, thinking if she was an angel or a human. Despite the many eyes that stayed glued on her, she only focused her gaze on one person who seemed to have forgotten to take her picture since he had lowered the camera. His eyes were wide and they were gazing into her own green orbs. A smile formed in her lips as she reached the end of the stage, careful not to trip on the wires of the lights.

Sasuke walked closer, the people, surprisingly giving him way as he smiled and raised his camera, finally remembering to do his job. She suppressed the urge to giggle at his actions as she did a pose for him, a sweet smile on her face as Sasuke clicked and took her picture, stepping back when he was done and gave her a small smile of his own. She did one last pose for the other photographers. From behind, Yukiko held onto a cord, waiting for the right time. Sakura turned around and Yukiko pulled the rope, making the pink-haired girl loose her balance and footing. She tripped on the wires that were connected to one, dropping her umbrella as she felt her body falling down from the stage.

He sensed the danger she was in and without thinking, dived right over to the guests of honor's table, sliding to where Sakura was about to fall, his back on the table as he caught her falling body in time, the commotion earning a few glasses and wine bottles to break. Some had gathered to see if they were alright while some stayed away to give them some air. Sasuke sat up with Sakura still in his arms. They were panting as the events replayed through their heads. He grasped her shoulders and had her look at him in the eye. "Hey, hey Sak, are you okay?" he asked worriedly. She gave an unsure nod as he pulled her into an embrace, not minding how his cheek received a cut from one of the sharp edges of the broken shards of glass when he dived to catch his girlfriend. "Thank God you're alright…" he said, kissing her on top of her head as he closed his eyes, saying a silent prayer of thanks to the Lord he worshipped, being a Catholic like his mom.

Yukiko glared at the couple, a mix of jealousy, anger and defeat welling up in her heart. If she was in Sakura's position earlier, would Sasuke jump in without thinking to save her? All these questions began to swarm in her head as her fists clenched tightly, her long well-manicured nails digging deep into her palms, making them bleed. _"Why? What does she have that I don't?" _she asked herself, glaring at the two as Sakura got off of Sasuke as he managed to get out of the broken table with her help, his body slightly aching as she assisted him to stand up, noticing his cuts as she felt guilty for his wounds.

"Man, you should loose some weight Sak." He teased, grinning at her as she still felt sad and guilty. "I'm sorry…" he blinked at her as she suddenly hugged him, his feet staggering a bit but he managed to steady himself. "I'm sorry… if only I watched where I was going or walking… if only I wasn't this heavy, you wouldn't be in pain." He sighed and shook his head, a smile on his face as he raised her chin with his index finger, drowning out the voices of the people who began talking about what had caused the accident as cops came to check if there was anyone fatally wounded.

"It was my decision to jump in and catch you, so don't worry about it."

Sakura still avoided his gaze as Kakashi, Kurenai and Tsunade came running towards them, asking them if they were okay. Sasuke gave a sheepish grin as Sakura nodded, a small smile on her face, a forced one at that. "She's fine, I am too. These are only minor cuts, I've felt worse." Tsunade checked his wounds and sighed in relief. "Yeah, his wounds aren't deep, not that fatal or many, but it still doesn't mean we'll just leave them be. It still has to be treated. I'll go get the medical kit." She marched back to the backstage as Kurenai kept them company, Kakashi grabbing two seats for the two twenty-eight year olds.

Tsunade came back with a medic kit as Sakura volunteered to treat his wounds, saying it was her fault why he got injured despite his protests. The three left the couple alone as they dealt with the authorities. Sakura carefully placed disinfectants on his wounds, him flinching from the pain as she gently placed a band aid over the cuts. "Does it hurt..?" she asked, scolding herself for asking such a stupid question but, she couldn't stand the awkward silence. Sasuke smiled and shook his head, saying it was nothing. She looked down though, and it pained his heart seeing her sad. "Well, it hurts…" Sakura faced him as he took one of her hands and placed it over his chest where his heart was. "…it hurts here, whenever I see you sad or crying." He gave another smile to her, his eyes half-closed as his other hand brushed away her bangs, gazing at her face, admiring her beauty.

"Smile for me tenshi, that's all I need from you to help chase away the pain …" Sakura couldn't help but let her lips curve upward at his attempts and sweet words to make her smile. "That's better." He whispered, and kissed her on the forehead, pulling her into another hug. "I promised you before," he whispered. "I will catch you when you fall, figuratively and literally, I will always be here, be there, to save you when you're in danger. I'll take the risks for you…" her eyes became watery. "You sure have a way with words…" he laughed a bit and grinned at her sheepishly. "That is what Naruto would say, 'the Uchiha way'."

* * *

He clenched his fists upon seeing the pictures. Without giving it much of a thought, he slammed his coffee mug, amazingly, not shattering it to pieces and took the newspaper on his desk angrily. He glared at the headlines, then turned to a few pages, stopping at one particular article as his eyes widened at the title and the pictures only made his blood boil. _"Uchiha Sasuke…" _he thought, reading the whole news. 

"_Newbie model Haruno Sakura nearly had a fatal accident if pro photographer Uchiha Sasuke hadn't jumped in to catch her from the fall. According to witnesses, it was top model Aimi Yukiko who had tried to cause Haruno's fall by pulling on a wire, making the rookie model trip." _He stopped reading and cursed again, thankful that his daughter wasn't harmed but disturbed that the Uchiha was there to save his little girl. _"Why is it that wherever my daughter goes, the Uchiha is there?" _he already approved Sakura of becoming a model, but after reading the newspaper, he thought otherwise.

Haruno Ikichi grabbed his mobile phone and looked for Sakura's number. He pressed the call button, waited for her to pick it up and when she did: "I want to have a few words with you Sakura, no ifs, buts or anything, this is really important, it's about the social gathering tomorrow and I need to discuss all this with you." And he hung up, not giving his daughter a chance to say anything else. A grim expression was on his face as he tried to formulate a plan in his mind.

* * *

A sigh escaped her lips as she closed the flap of her phone, gripping it tight. Sasuke looked at her with a raised eyebrow, stopping from the paperwork Kakashi assigned to him. Sakura sat down beside him on the couch and frowned. "He wants to talk to me again…" another sigh. "I won't be here tomorrow. There's this so-called social gathering that my dad holds every year." Sasuke gave a nod and continued to fix the files. "I won't be here tomorrow either, Kakashi says he has a job for me tomorrow at some sort of event." Sakura blinked at this. "Where is this event being held?" he shrugged. "He's going to tell me tomorrow, you?" she shook her head. "I don't know either. But one thing's for sure, we won't be seeing each other tomorrow until nightfall." She smiled and he returned it with his own. "Well, better go to your dad's now, he might get mad again." 

"Yeah, and you'd better head over to the studio soon, otherwise, Kakashi would panic again."

"Let him wait." He said, leaning towards her without warning and capturing her lips into a kiss. "I think this is where we last left off yesterday when I told you to sleep." He whispered in her ear, leaning down to her neck and sucked onto her skin. She responded with a moan and wrapped her arms around his neck again. "Sasuke… my dad…and Kakashi might get mad…" he didn't heed her and just continued, slowly pushing both of them down, him laying on top of her as he let his hand run down her side, stopping on her waist and lifting her shirt up. "Let them both wait." He murmured against her collarbone, licking the red mark on it.

She arched onto his body when his hand had reached her mounds and he smirked at her reaction. Her hands pulled him closer, entangling her fingers with his raven hair, gripping on the spike of black locks and pulling him some more. He pulled away for a bit and hovered above her face, smirking at her flushed cheeks and half-lidded eyes. It only turned him on when she looked like that. "Hey tenshi…" he whispered and she closed her eyes, lifted her head up as he let her kiss his neck, letting her have fun for a while. "Why do you always call me that..?" she asked, nibbling on his ear as he smiled slightly. "Because you are one, tenshi."

He faced her and she did the same, gazes locked on each other as they closed and leaned their faces once more, their lips locking in a sweet kiss. He broke away as he gave a gentle smile and got off of her, Sakura sitting up and watching him fix his papers and pictures. "Well, I guess I've made Kakashi wait long enough, so, better go now." He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and grinned at her surprised eyes. "Bye tenshi." And he took his motor keys with him, heading for the door after hearing her whisper a "bye" to him.

* * *

"What is the meaning of these pictures Sakura?" he asked; his voice stern and serious. His daughter just sighed and crossed her arms, looking at the pictures that lay over the center table of the living room where father and daughter sat. "What does it look like to you dad?" Ikichi huffed and leaned back down on the couch. "I know that you're seeing him Sakura, you promised and told me that you will not go here to see him." Sakura frowned at the word "promised" since he himself broke his promise. "What's wrong with holding hands?" she asked back. Ikichi scowled at this. "That's no problem, but what about his kiss on your cheek or forehead? What about those hugs? In public?" Again, she remained impassive. "Friendly kiss, friendly hug, what's wrong with those?" Her father rubbed his temples and groaned. 

"Just forget about it dad, just tell me what this social gathering is all about?" she asked, changing the topic and taking a sip from her tea cup that was served a while ago. "Oh, that." He said, straightening himself up as he cleared his throat. "It's not exactly a formal party but do dress a smart casual. It will be held outdoors at the Grand Cherry Park (GCP) downtown. It's around 10.30 AM until the afternoon perhaps. So, you know what else we do there. Just talk to some of your colleagues, and yes, some college friends of yours from the States will be there."

Sakura lit up at this. "You mean Temari-san and her brothers as well?" Ikichi nodded, finishing his tea as Sakura jumped and punched a fist in the air. "Hell yeah!" her father spat the tea and looked at Sakura in disbelief. "Where are your manners young lady?" he asked all of a sudden but Sakura just jumped for joy, despite wearing heels. "I get to see them again!" Ikichi sighed. "Not only them but even the girls that you knew." Sakura only grinned. "It doesn't matter! At least I won't get bored like the last time!" and she continued to think about things to do for tomorrow.

"_Well, at least that would get her mind off of that Uchiha…" _he thought. "Well, I guess you'll have to stay here so that you won't be late tomorrow." She stopped and turned to her dad. "But…" Ikichi narrowed his eyes at this. "Come to think of it, where _are_ you staying the moment you got here?" Sakura gulped inwardly and said the first name she thought of. "Ino's." Ikichi nodded. "Well, you can move back here so that you won't bother her there anymore." Sakura shook her head at this. _"No, I don't want to leave Sasuke alone, it feels more like home there than here…" _Ikichi raised a brow at her. "Ino is living alone, and she really feels lonely without me, that's why when she heard I came back here, she asked me to stay in her house."

"I see," he nodded again. "In that case, I'll just pick you up there then."

"No need to, I can go to GCP myself, it's only nearby." She grinned.

"But-"

"Come on dad, I could use the morning walk!"

"Fine."

"Thanks!" and she stretched her arms. "Well, I guess I better go now, I promised Ino to be home for dinner because we're going to cook something together!" she lied. _"Heh, yeah right, they're still on vacation in the beach house, I could only pray for a miracle…" _she groaned inwardly as Ikichi nodded, bidding her goodbye.

Once outside the Haruno estate, she quickly took her phone out and called Ino. She waited until the fourth ring before the blonde finally picked up her cell phone. "Hey Sakura, how's it going?" Sakura grimaced. "You're still at the beach..?" Ino said yes and asked her why and the pink-haired model explained everything. The girl on the other line smiled. "Don't worry Sakura, Shikamaru and I are heading home in an hour, he says he needs to go back to work or he'll be fired." Sakura giggled and thanked her friend then hung up. _"Now to call Sasuke!" _she grinned.

* * *

"So, you'll be taking candid shots, write a few things as well and here," Sasuke took the ID that Kakashi handed to him. "That will be your pass to enter the gates. The guards will be very strict about visitors and guests, so just show that to them and they'll let you in-" he got cut off when Sasuke's phone rang. The Uchiha excused himself, earning a nod from his manager before he answered the phone. "Hey Sak, what's up?" She smiled on the other line. "Are you almost done there?" she asked him. "Hang on," he turned to Kakashi who waved a hand as if to dismiss him and he gave a nod and turned his attention back to his phone. "Yeah, I'm done. Why?" 

"I was thinking, do you want to have dinner somewhere..?"

"You know my answer tenshi."

"Stop calling me that Suke…"

"Well, I want to."

She shook her head but smiled none the less. "Fine, I might as well think of another name for you as well. So, where are we going to eat?" Sasuke stepped out of the studio and looked around. "I don't know, you decide, you asked me out." Sakura thought for a while and grinned. "Do you remember where we had our first date?" Sasuke smiled at the memory of that night. "How could I forget, that was the day I asked you to become my girlfriend after the championships."

"Yeah, so, is that place fine with you?"

"Depends, are you in proper attire?"

"Uh… you were with me earlier so you should know…"

"Oh, right." he slapped his forehead with his free hand and looked straight ahead, smirking at the process. "You know, that dress of yours makes me want to just grab you and make out with you in public." She blinked in confusion. "Why?" his smirk only widened. "Well, the way you walk makes you look se-"

"Don't even say that word Uchiha Sasuke!"

"Why not? What's so bad about mentioning that you're _hot _to put it in other words?"

"I don't like it…" she muttered. "And how can you tell if…" she trailed off when she stopped, seeing her boyfriend just a few feet away from her, smirking. "I am standing just a few feet away from you, that's how. And really, it's getting cold tonight, so why didn't you bother to wear a jacket over that dress of yours that may I add, shows off your legs and it only turns me on all the more."

Sakura blushed, knitted her brows and hung up, approaching Sasuke who did the same, only he was snickering at her flushed face. "You should really stop hanging out with Kakashi! You're starting to become a pervert!" again, that trademark smirk of his appeared as he leaned closer to her. "Only when I see you or when I'm around you." She huffed and looked away, earning another laugh from him. "Come on." Sasuke said, placing an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close to him. "You might end up catching a cold out here."

They reached the semi-fancy restaurant and sat down on a table for two, ordered their food and decided to talk for a while. "What did your dad say?" he asked, resting his arms on the table as she had her hands clasped on her lap. "You remember the stalker?" he nodded. "He got the pictures and questioned me about our relationship. As of now, I told him that we were only friends, somehow, I can't seem to find the courage to tell him straight and be proud of our relationship." She sighed. "Are you mad..?" he thought about it for a while, a smile forming on his lips as he reached out to her with his hand, motioning for one of hers to come out. He clasped both of their hands, intertwining their fingers together as he gazed at her. "Why would I be mad? Until you're ready to tell him, I'll wait." She forced a smile. "Smile for me tenshi, not a forced one but a real one." She giggled, placing her free hand over her mouth and he gave a nod. "Much better."

After eating, they decided to walk around for a while, Sasuke lending his black polo to her after noting how she shivered from the night wind. "It's amazing how you don't feel so warm with a shirt underneath your polo." He shrugged and held her hand into his. "I'm used to it." Sakura looked down at his right hand, raising it up with both of her hands and looking at his wrist. "You know, maybe I should buy one of these." She said, gesturing to the black and blue baller bands on his wrists. He blinked and removed his blue one, putting it on her right wrist since her left hand had a silver bracelet. "You can have this." He said, smiling softly at her. "I know blue is also one of your favorite colors." She smiled and thanked him. "That's because of you, since it's also your favorite color, I started to like it."

"Hn."

She poked him and he looked at her confusedly. "What did I say about one-word, one-syllable replies?" he sighed. "What's wrong with it?" she gave him a mock glare and he looked at her then tweaked her nose, laughing when she pouted and glared at him. "Kawaii Tenshi." He whispered in her ear, giving her a light kiss on her lips. When he parted, she looked at him with a soft expression. "I'd call you gaki for being immature at times…" he smirked. "But..?" he asked. "But that name doesn't fit you, Yami nin." he smiled. "Dark Ninja," he closed his eyes. _"So you still remember the role I played back in high school…" _he leaned down again, giving her another kiss. "Let's go home."

They walked back to his home, locking the front door and heading straight to his room. Usually, he would sleep on the couch or on the floor, but tonight, he wouldn't, because Sakura had invited him to lie down beside her, with just one pull of his arm, he had obliged. Just like before, she used his chest as her pillow, her hands wrapped around his body while his were around her waist securely, pulling her body closer to his for added warmth. He took a whiff of her strawberry scented hair, getting so addicted to the smell. His eyelids felt heavy, his muscles relaxed and slowly, he fell asleep.

"Good night, tenshi..."

* * *

He stirred and opened his eyes, feeling cold by the lack of warmth. He looked beside him, seeing a vacant spot. He sat up when he heard the door to his bathroom open, the water vapor coming out and emerging from the room was none other than his girlfriend, her body wrapped in a towel while her hands were busy drying her wet hair. She sensed his gaze and looked at him, blinking while he smirked at her, the sleep in his eyes fading. "What're you staring at?" she asked. "You, tenshi." He answered, getting out of bed and approaching her as she took a few steps back until she was trapped between him and the wall. "Morning tenshi," he greeted, giving her a light kiss on the forehead then went to the bathroom. 

"_For a minute there I thought he would…" _she sighed, a bit disappointed and half relieved. She peeked in the bathroom, seeing him brush his teeth after removing his shirt. Feeling her gaze on him, he raised a brow at her as she smiled and shook her head then headed to her luggage. He told her to place her clothes in his closet since it had extra space but she refused the offer and had her outfits inside her bag. _"So, I have to dress a smart casual attire…" _she pulled out her usual outfit, a sleeveless dress reaching her knees in the color of black and an off-white cardigan.

"What time are you going home?" she asked after getting dressed. He was still in the bathroom taking a shower. "I'm not sure." He replied, loud enough for her to hear. She shrugged and sat on the bed, checking the clock. _"I've got an hour and a half."_ She yawned and stood up. "Hey Suke, what do you want for breakfast?" she asked, knocking on the door. He opened it, his body and hair dripping wet and a towel the only thing he had on that was around his waist. "Up to you." He said, drying his hair with another and not noticing her red cheeks and wide eyes. "Um… okay…" she whispered, hanging her head low and clasping her hands in front of her, walking out of the room.

* * *

"_I should really get used to this…" _she said to herself, over and over again while flipping the pancakes. The coffee was ready and so were the plates. The flapjacks the only thing that was stopping breakfast from being ready; two more and she was done. Her ears heard footsteps as Sasuke came in the kitchen, yawning at the process and eyes still bore the sleepy look. She giggled at him and he only rolled his eyes. _"What is it with her when she sees me like this?" _he asked himself, grabbing two mugs from a cupboard and pouring coffee on both. "How many teaspoons of sugar?" he asked. "Two." And he nodded then placed the two mugs on the table.

Sakura turned off the stove and placed a plate of three pancakes in front of him, with butter and syrup on top, melting and coating the food, making it look mouthwatering. She also had the same stack and then sat across from him. "Care to lead the prayer?" she asked with a smile. He nodded as the two of them did the sign of the cross, gave their thanks and exclaimed an "Itadakimasu" before they dug in.

* * *

"So, once you're done, just call me and I'll pick you up, and in case I finish earlier, I'll just send you a message and ask where you're staying." He said, closing the door behind him and locking it as the two stepped out of the compound and onto the sidewalk. Sakura nodded as her boyfriend checked if he had his camera with him. She waited until he was done checking and then smiled brightly at him. "Have a good day then Yami nin!" she grinned. He smirked, pocketing his hands in his dark blue denim jeans. "You too, tenshi." And he gave her a quick kiss on the lips before they parted ways; him heading to the studio and her to GCP. 

"Shoot, I forgot to ask where he's going to shoot pictures!" she snapped her fingers and sighed. "Oh well, he doesn't know where the social gathering is being held either, guess we're even." And she continued walking towards her destination, passing by a few old folks whom she greeted with respect then stopped in front of the GCP gates. A guard stepped forward, asking who she was and what was her business here. "Haruno Sakura, daughter of Haruno Ikichi. I'm here for the social gathering." At the mention of Haruno, he opened the gates and let her in. She thanked the guard and proceeded walking inside, looking around for anyone she knew.

"Sakura, over here!"

She stopped and turned to her right, smiling upon seeing a familiar blonde run towards her, followed by a red head and brunette. "Temara-san, Gaara-san, Kankuro-san! It's great to see you again!" she exclaimed, running to Temari as the two enveloped each other in a hug. "We really missed you Sakura!" The blonde said, grinning as Kankuro waved and smile whilst Gaara gave a nod and a small smile of his own. "So, how's life been treating you?" Kankuro asked the pink-haired girl. She grinned in return. "Great! I'm now a model you know!"

"Aa, we do. We read the newspaper." Gaara said, showing her a smirk. "So, who's your knight in shining armor?" Sakura blushed and looked down, trying to find the right words as Temari grinned. "Hey, that guy was really an eye-catch! Not to mention, an Uchiha!" Kankuro raised a brow. "Why would an Uchiha bother to save a model?" Sakura gulped and looked around. "To be perfectly honest, I… well… we know each other since high school, and no Gaara, he isn't my knight in shining armor, but my Yami Nin." They quirked their brows while she grinned. "I'm his kawaii tenshi."

It took the two male for a while to get it but the blonde female suddenly squealed and clasped her hands with Sakura. "Oh my gosh! He's you're-!" Sakura nodded. "And you're his-!" again, she nodded. "Girl, since when?" she asked again. Sakura laughed. "He's my ex, but then, when I came back, I heard that he still hasn't moved on and well, he still loves me…" her eyes were half-closed as Gaara recalled a few things the pink-haired model told them before. "So, he's 'Suke'?" she nodded and Kankuro chuckled. "So, all this time, 'Suke' was actually Uchiha Sasuke?" and she nodded once again.

* * *

"Ah-Choo!" 

"Bless you."

Sasuke sniffled, muttering his thanks to his newly appointed co-worker. He had a bowl-cut hair and really thick brows that he swore he saw them move. _"It better not be Sak talking about me again…" _he thought, reaching the gates of his destination where his partner stood and gaped at the view behind the bars. "Name and reason why you're here." The guard demanded. Sasuke sighed and showed him his ID, along with his partner's. The man nodded and opened the gates, their IDs around their necks. _"Time to start working." _He glanced briefly at his partner. "Lee, take out the checklist and your notepad and start writing a few important details about this place." He instructed the rookie who nodded and saluted him. Inwardly, Sasuke cringed. _"Geez Lee, you're a year older than me yet I feel so old around you…" _he sighed and took out his digicam.

"Sasuke-san! Take a picture of that!" Lee said, pointing to a cherry blossom tree where a lot of people gathered underneath it, laughing and having a good time. Sasuke smiled slightly at the pink petals that surrounded them, raising his camera and took a shot at the direction Lee was pointing at. "Good choice Lee, you're a natural." He commented, rather, praised, which according to Kakashi, was rare for the Uchiha to do to rookies. Lee felt water blur his eyes as he was touched by the compliment and was now determined to do better. "For Sauke-san and the studio, I, Rock Lee shall do my best! Also, to make my idol, Gai-san, proud of me!" he declared, earning weird looks from the crowd as Sasuke sulked, taking a few steps away from his companion.

He heard a few giggles and he turned to where it came from. Flinching, he went back to Lee's side as he saw the eyes of the young girls turn into hearts when he had looked at them. _"I'm starting to hate my job…" _he thought, his eyes twitching as they passed by more girls who giggled and gawked at him. _"I bet even if I get married, I'd still be attracting girls…" _he nearly threw up at the thought of teen girls and gays chasing him while he was carrying his kid. _"Bad mental image…" _he shook his head and took a random shot of little kids who were dressed smartly and in their best behaviors. A smile formed on his lips when the children had turned to him and hid behind their parents, a shy look coming from them.

"_I wouldn't mind little girls, at least they're quiet…" _he thought and continued to look for good shots. "Yosh! We've done this, taken this, and this…" Lee started checking the list and jotting down notes on a notebook. "We're on a role here Sasuke-san!" he took another shot of two men shaking hands and laughing at their conversation, then another with a mother and her two kids. _"So far so good…" _ he felt tugging on his pants that he looked down to see a little boy at the age of seven with tear-stricken eyes. "N-nii-san…" he whimpered. Sasuke, having a soft spot for crying girls and kids, bent down to at least have a good view of the kid who continued sniveling.

"What is it?" he asked, Lee right behind him and staring at the child. "I-I can't find m-my mommy..!" he said, trying hard to prevent himself from crying out loud. Sasuke gave a gentle smile and picked him up after securing his camera in its case around his waist. "Don't worry, we'll find your mom." He assured him. "What's your name?" the child sniffed again. "N-Naoki Sh-Shiteshi…" Sasuke nodded and turned to Lee, giving a serious expression. "Lee, look for anyone in charge of the speakers and have them announce of a child named Naoki Shiteshi looking for his mom, wait for her then lead her to us." Lee nodded and ran off as Sasuke tried to comfort the kid. "Hey, don't worry okay? My friend likes helping out people and once he's told to do something, he'll do it."

"T-thank you nii-san…"

Again, he smiled and turned to the ice cream booth. "How about I buy you an ice cream while we wait for your mom?" he asked, waiting for the kid's answer. Shiteshi wiped his tears away and gave a nod as Sasuke walked towards the stall and put the child down, asking him what flavor he wanted and ordered one from the vendor. "Shiteshi," he called, handing the boy the chocolate ice cream. "I'm just curious, of all people, why did you ask for my help?" he led the seven year old to a bench as the two sat down. "I saw you in the paper! Mommy told me not to talk or trust strangers but… I needed help and you looked familiar…" he said, licking on the iced treat. "You're that Uchiha who saved a newbie model right?" he smiled and nodded as the kid continued telling him random things. _"At least it keeps him still and unafraid of being lost." _He thought to himself.

"Ne, nii-san, what's that?" Shiteshi pointed to his camera as Sasuke took it out and showed him the object. "It's a camera Shiteshi, it takes pictures of people or anything you want. For instance, this is the one responsible on why you saw me in the newspaper." The child gave a grin, understanding Sasuke's explanation as he continued to ask questions, the photographer answering him with patience and the best he could. After a few more minutes of waiting, Lee came back with a middle-aged woman who looked relieved to see her son safe and sound. "Shiteshi-chan!" she exclaimed, running towards the seven-year old who stood up and greeted his mom with a smile.

"Thank goodness you're alright! Don't you ever leave my side again you hear me?" she hugged her child and carried her, smiling gratefully at Lee and Sasuke. "Thank you so much for taking care of my baby. How can I ever repay you?" The two shook their heads, indicating that it was no trouble at all. Shiteshi waved goodbye to Sasuke who returned the gesture as he and Lee continued with their job.

* * *

Time passed and soon, it was nearing the end of the day. Sakura had avoided her father with the help of her three friends. Right now, she listened as Temari talked about a few random things with Kankuro joining in at times and Gaara giving side comments. Sakura stopped all of a sudden when she saw a certain someone who was taking pictures and telling his companion something. Sakura walked over to the two while her three friends stared at her with confused looks. "Sakura, what's up?" Kankuro asked her but she just kept walking, her pace going faster by each second and her lips forming a smile as she neared the photographer who had his back turned to her. 

This time, she was jogging towards him and had her arms open wide when he suddenly spoke, having her skid to a stop. "You know tenshi, I am not called Yami nin for nothing." He said, not looking at her but deleting some extra pictures on his digital camera, turned it off and placed it back in its case. He then faced the girl who gawked at him as he smirked. "Missed me tenshi?" Lee raised a brow, wondering who he was talking to when he turned and gulped, seeing Sakura gaping at his partner. "You're Haruno Sakura-san!"

The pink-haired girl turned to Lee and gave a nod then turned back to Sasuke who laughed at her expression. "What? Surprised to see me?" he asked. "Maybe, but I sure am, Uchiha." The three turned to the new voice, seeing Haruno Ikchi approach them, two bodyguards following him with cautious eyes. "Why are you here Uchiha?" Temari and her brothers rushed to Sakura's side, readying to back Sakura up in case things get ugly. "Just doing my job sir." Sasuke answered, patting his camera and Lee nodding, supporting his answer. "I see, then go on, continue with your job."

Sasuke smirked. "Done already sir." Ikichi frowned. "Then what are you still doing here?" The Uchiha only pocketed his hands. "I'm still here because I'm going to pick up my girlfriend and treat her to dinner, what's wrong with that?" he asked back. "Then go take her and leave." Somehow, Ikichi regretted saying that when he looked at Sasuke's onyx orbs.

There was something different about his eyes, and it disturbed him. Something was going on and his daughter had lied to him. However, he had things planned out, but what he didn't expect was that this boy actually had the guts to fight back. Somehow, he finally figured what an Uchiha is capable of. "An Uchiha is Headstrong. Remember that, Haruno Ikichi-san." And he walked off, taking Sakura with him, a satisfied smirk on his lips.

"Wait." He said.

"No." Sasuke answered and looked at Ikichi. "I've waited long enough for you to accept me, I've endured ten years of being alone and not looking for another girl, I'm sick and tired of waiting, and if respecting your decision is not enough for you to accept me, then maybe showing you what a real Uchiha does will." He paused, feeling Sakura grip his hand as he returned the action. "I am rebelling; I'll fight against you to win your approval. I have done so already with your wife and daughter. You're the only one standing in our way to a happy life, you're the only one preventing our love. But that's all in the past." He looked straight ahead, sensing Sakura's smile and Lee's silent cheer. "Because now, I have won." And he continued walking away, Sakura waving bye to her friends who waved back enthusiastically. Lee wiped the happy tears away from his eyes and ran after his partner, bidding a respectful goodbye to Haruno Ikichi and the three siblings.

"_Uchiha, you will regret those words…"

* * *

_

"Sasuke-kun," she whispered while they were on their way home that night. It was beginning to grow darker and later but they didn't care. "What is it tenshi?" he asked. "Aishiteru." He smiled and held her hand tighter. "So do I."

_**To be continued…

* * *

**_

_Next on Fallen: Chapter 6: Remember the time_

"Hey, Sasuke-kun, look what I found!" she chirped, entering his room as he stopped fixing his things and turned to her. She held a photo album and looked really excited to open it. Smiling, he motioned her to sit on the bed as he put down the stack of papers he was fixing earlier and sat down beside her. She waited for him before she opened it, browsing at the pictures. "I remember this one…" she said, closing her eyes as if to relive the memory of the event that occurred. "This was where we first met and talked."

* * *

_A/N: Whew! That was one long chapter! I hope that can satisfy you guys for a while! School is about to start and that could mean another long time for me to update, plus, I'll be getting inspiration from my high school life for the next chapter! **If you have any request** of their high school life that you would want to read or know about, let me know okay? So, perhaps this would be on hold after a week or so. I'll try to update soon but I'm not making any promises! Please be so kind to leave a decent and good review! _


	6. Remember the Time

_A/N: And here's the whole high school flashback relationship of Sasuke and Sakura!  
Here's the OST by the way:_

_Nothing's gonna change my Love for you-Air Supply (so many revivers of this song)  
Now and Forver- Richard Marx  
Makita kang muli- Sugarfree (from the Philippines but it means "To see you again")  
When I see you smile- Kris Lawrence (singer from the Philippines)  
I'm Sorry- Craig David  
Sway- Pussycat dolls  
Only Love- Trademark  
Drowning- Backstreet Boys  
How deep is your love- Bee Gees  
First love- Utada Hikaru  
Love Chronicle- Changin' my life (Full Moon wo Sagashite)  
Kyou Kara Kyou E- Yumi Matsuzawa (Gatekeepers)  
Weak- Jojo  
Forevermore- Side A (also from the Philippines)  
Forever- Damage  
1/3 Junjou no Kanjou- Ruruoni Kenshin/Samurai X  
Anywhere for you- Backstreet Boys (or was it Anything for you?)

* * *

_

**Snapshot**

Satisfied with her work, she smiled and headed over to the kitchen to prepare some snacks. Sakura set aside the broom and dust pan, washed her hands before starting to make some onigiri. She checked the fridge and smiled upon seeing red tomatoes which she took out and started to cut to pieces. _"Tomato filled onigiri, just what Sasuke would want to eat!" _she grinned and started fixing the treat. She heard the door to the kitchen open as Sasuke came clad in a black long-sleeved shirt, the sleeves folded up to his elbows, and a pair of jeans, a white apron over his attire and bandana on his head.

"Hey Yami nin, you done?"

"Almost." He said, tugging the bandana on his head and stuffing it inside his apron's pockets. Sasuke stopped and sniffed the air. "I smell tomatoes…" she laughed and showed him what she was doing. A smile formed on his lips as he wrapped his arms around his tenshi, burying his nose on the crook of her neck. "What about you?" he murmured. "Mm, I'm done. I only need to fix your CDs and I'm finished." Sasuke nodded and kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks tenshi."

"No problem."

* * *

Letting out a sigh, a smile crept through her face as she stood up and removed the black bandana on her head, letting her long pink locks flow down freely. She looked at the whole living room and nodded at her clean-up. Something on the floor caught her eye and she picked it up, looking at the cover. It brought her feet to run up the stairs and reach Sasuke's room, glad that she was wearing a loose white shirt and jeans for general cleaning.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun, look what I found!" she chirped, entering his room as he stopped fixing his things and turned to her. She held a photo album and looked really excited to open it. Smiling, he motioned her to sit on the bed as he put down the stack of papers he was fixing earlier and sat down beside her. She waited for him before she opened it, browsing at the pictures. "I remember this one…" she said, closing her eyes as if to relive the memory of the event that occurred. "This was where we first met and talked."

He looked at the picture where the whole gang was, minus Neji and Ten-Ten, seated on a picnic table in their school under a tree where the school paper had had their photographer take a picture of the freshmen. "Who would've thought that we would all end up friends and something more." He commented, leaning his head on hers when she snuggled in his arms as they continued browsing the pictures.

* * *

_**Chapter 6: Remember the time**_

The sky was a clear blue yet the sun was hidden behind some of the clouds. The wind was blowing a cool breeze, the leaves dancing with it as a 16-year old girl walked inside her new school. It was slightly early of her to arrive at Konoha High but she shrugged it off and decided to sit down on a vacant table, taking out her schedule and memorizing it. _"So I'll be in Year 1 class 3…" _she thought, browsing at the names of her new teachers.

"Um, excuse me, is this seat taken?"

She looked up, her emerald eyes meeting a pair of onyx ones. They held their gazes for a moment before realizing it, looking away afterwards as a light blush tinted their cheeks. "Sorry 'bout that." he said, giving a sheepish smile as he scratched the back of his head. "No, it's okay, I stared too…" she laughed. "Anyway, I'm the only occupant of this table right now, so, feel free to take a seat." He gave a nod, thanking her as he sat down across from her. "You new here?" he asked after placing down his backpack on the ground. "Yeah, my name's Haruno Sakura, you can call me Sakura." She said, extending out a hand to him as he took it, shaking it after.

"Uchiha Sasuke, no formalities please."

"Sure, is Sasuke-kun okay with you or just plain Sasuke?"

"It's up to you, just as long as it's not '-san' or '-chan', I'd feel weird if you call me by my last name."

"I know how you feel Sasuke-kun." She said, laughing with him. They talked for a while before a few more students arrived, some they knew by looks from their junior high school and some were just complete and total strangers. "So, what's your classroom number?" she asked. He thought for a while before answering her. To Sakura's surprise, they were going to be classmates. "I guess we'll be seeing more of each other, huh Sasuke-kun?"

"Yeah."

* * *

­­­­­­­­­­­

"I can't believe we became friends easily." Sakura said, flipping the next page. "I think you already had a crush on me at that time." He said, smirking when Sakura suddenly hit him with a pillow. "Sasuke no baka!" she yelled. He only laughed and looked at the pictures. Sakura browsed as well, flipping a few pages as she stopped and recalled something. "Why do you use digital cameras instead of what real photographers use?"

Sasuke blinked and grinned sheepishly. "I got traumatized after watching a few horror movies wherein the photographer is in the red room, where you develop the pictures and all… and well… it usually ends up with something bad."

"Chicken…"

"Why else do you think does my hair look like a cockatoo's?" he asked back, grinning as she laughed, flipping the next page. "Hey Sasuke," he looked at her. "How did you fall in love with me?" he blinked and looked down at the pictures, shots of him in his jersey uniform with Naruto beside him, another with Sakura, and another of his team and coach. He turned to the next page, smiling at a certain picture. "That's how…" he said, eyeing a photo of Sakura in her Princess costume.

Sakura looked at it, smiling slightly as she recalled that night. It was play night and she got the main girl's role: a kind-hearted princess. "So that's why you started calling me 'hime-san'…" she whispered when his lips came in contact with her temple. "Aa." Came his reply. "But tenshi sounded more appropriate for you."

* * *

"Is this really okay?" Sakura asked, looking at herself in the mirror. Her long red kimono looked elegant on her since it had designs of the flower she was named after. A dark blue obi secured it as the other girls in her class continued to apply some powder on her cheeks, lip gloss to have her lips shine and some eyeliner as well. "Don't you think this is too much make-up Ino?"

The blonde girl shook her head. "It's just right Sakura," she said as Hinata continued to comb her long pink hair, setting it aside afterwards and securing her hair in a bun with a pair of black chopsticks, a single metal cherry petal attached on the end by a silver chain. Ino then clipped on some earrings as she marveled at her's and Hinata's work. Sakura continued to eye herself on the mirror, blushing slightly when some of her classmates complimented her looks and how beautiful she was, looking like a real princess.

"Hey guys, make room for the school paper!" one girl announced as the photo staff came in and took a picture of Sakura. "Nice." Commented the guy as he stepped out of the room and continued taking pictures. Sakura blinked from the flash of the camera and felt two hands pull her out of the room. Ino grinned as they reached the backstage where most of the cast were waiting. "Let's have the gang see you!" she said as Hinata followed closely behind.

Ino found the rest of the group and called their attention. Ten-Ten nearly dropped the headset she was about to put on as Neji gaped, including Naruto who had his jaw hanging. Shikamaru nodded, a small smile on his lips. "You did a good job Ino and Hinata." And lastly, the person who will play as the princess' love interest, a.k.a. Yami Nin was at a loss for words upon seeing his hime. Their eyes locked and at that moment, when green met black, he knew that his heart was doing summersaults while his stomach started to feel like there were butterflies in it.

"Tenshi…" was what he whispered, yet her ears had picked it up. The rest were busy talking to even notice the spark and chemistry slowly forming between the two the moment their eyes had locked. Sakura looked down a bit, blushing prettily under his intent gaze as a smile tugged on her lips. It caught him off guard as his cheeks heated up and his heart began to thump wildly. He has just been bitten by the love bug.

* * *

Sakura giggled upon recalling that night. "Tenshi huh?" she asked, smiling at him as he snapped from his thoughts and blushed a deep red. "It wasn't my fault… my mind went blank and I just blurted it out…" She laughed. "Riiiiight…" she then flipped the page. "What happened during the play again?"

"Well…"

* * *

"The ninja that was appointed to protect the princess was actually a part of a group of rebels who plan to overthrow the kingdom by taking the first step into killing the princess." The narrator spoke through the speakers. "However, Yami Nin had started to develop feelings for the princess, and ended up confessing to her one night."

"Hime-san," Sasuke said, a small microphone attached to his costume as he walked over to Sakura who was seated on the grassy ground, surrounded by a lot of flowers which were true while the rest were merely props. The lights dimmed a bit, indicating that it was night time while they were in the garden as Sakura got up, spinning around to face her ninja, her hair swaying with her movements as she gave a bright smile. "What is it Yami Nin?" she asked, hands holding a boquet of different kinds of flowers.

For a while back there, Sasuke blanked out, his mind forgot his lines as he stared at Sakura, who gave him a worried look, mouthing the words "Say your line" or "Are you okay?". He could hear the people backstage whispering his lines to him, and he felt his heart beating wildly against his chest. "I…" he started to sweat a bit, feeling the eyes of the audience intently gazing at him, eagerly waiting for his line. "I…"

"_Wow, he sure can act…" _Sakura thought. She decided to help him out by adlibbing. She looked down and smiled slightly. "You know," she spoke, and he shut his mouth, one eyebrow raised as he thought: _"She isn't supposed to say anything." _Never the less, he played along. "What?" he asked, finally finding his voice as Sakura blushed under his gaze. "I've been… having weird feeling around you lately and…" she shook her head and smiled at him. "Never mind, it's not important."

Their play teacher had dropped the script, his jaw dropped as he stared at the two in disbelief. _"They are not saying their lines!"_

"No hime," Sasuke said, shaking his head. "If you won't tell me, then let me tell you this." He breathed in and out, finally recalling his next lines. "I love you." And that earned a round of "Awws" and squeals from female audiences. "I never wanted to, but… love doesn't need a reason." He said, averting his gaze away from her as she waited for him to continue patiently. "Right now, I just want you to answer me," he looked at her, his eyes boring a serious expression. "Do you… love me too?"

Silence came afterwards. This time, it was her turn to space out. She stared at him, eyes blinking continuously as she said the first thing that came to her mind. "W-what?" she asked. The crew that were watching backstage gasped and panicked. This was a disaster! The two main characters have forgotten their lines!

"I said, I love you, and I want to know if…"

Thank the heavens! Sasuke has adlibbed to save the play!

"…If you love me too… please answer me Sak-" he shook his head. "Hime-san, answer me, I need to know."

"Shit! He almost called her by her first name!" Ten-Ten panicked, grasping Neji's collar as he dropped his script. "Ten-Ten! Are you forgetting that I'm the narrator? Great, I lost the page where I'm supposed to continue reading!" he frantically searched for the paper, his co-narrator helping him out.

"I…" Sakura looked away, gulped and faced Sasuke once more, giving a nod. "Yes, I love you too, yet our love is forbidden, it cannot happen." Sasuke shook his head and approached her. "Then I'll make it happen." And he wrapped one arm around her waist, the other tilting her chin so that he could get a good angle of her lips. He then closed his eyes, sensing the crowd's delight for a kissing scene. Before he could touch her lips though, the lights dimmed and the curtains dropped, signaling a change of scene. Sasuke let go of her and walked to the side, leaving a bewildered Sakura behind.

"Nice job teme! You actually made the audience think you were going to kiss her!" Naruto cheered, patting his friend on the back. "Nice adlibbing too! And acting! It wasn't part of the play yet you added it for more effect!" Sasuke continued staring off into space as he opened his mouth to speak. "I didn't do it for the play…" Naruto stopped and faced his best friend, a look of shock on his face. "I did it because… I felt like doing it…"

* * *

"You felt like doing it?"

Sasuke grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "To be honest with you, I felt like I was actually confessing to you for real back then. That's why I blanked out and forgot my lines." Sakura giggled and shook her head. "You actually had me convinced that you would really kiss me!"

"Well, I planned too, but then, I never kissed a girl before back then."

"You mean, I was the first girl you ever kissed?"

He nodded. "Remember when I confessed to you?"

"How could I not?"

* * *

He dribbled the ball as sweat began to trickle down the side of his face. Naruto tried to shoot but a taller player had blocked his way. Cursing, he passed the ball to their team captain, Hyuuga Neji, who quickly ran under the court, ready to execute a lay-up shot. When he jumped, a center had blocked his way and he gritted his teeth, not able to make the shot.

"Hyuuga!"

Neji heard him and he smirked, dropping the ball to his side as Sasuke came and took it, glancing at the seconds left and the score. He needed two to tie and three to win. Confident to get the three-point shot, he ran back out the inner court and stopped on the three-point line, earning questioning looks from the other players. He did a fake when a forward tried to block him, jumping on the process yet cursed mentally when Sasuke didn't even move and smirked at him. "Got you…" he said and jumped, leaning back a bit as he executed a perfect fade-away three-point shot.

The buzzer had sounded, ending the game as the referee blew his whistle, announcing the winner of the game. Neji's team cheered as their school was called ad the crowd had gone wild as well. They shook hands with their opponent and gathered before their coach who had called them. "I'm proud of you team," he said. "And I am here to appoint a new tem catain, because Neji is in his senior year, and will be graduating. So if you please, Neji." He nodded and stepped forward. "It's going to be a sad day for me when I leave this school and this team behind, yet knowing that I can trust the new appointed team captain that I suggested to our coach," he glanced at the older man and continued. "I can leave the school without much tension and hesitation, I leave my responsibility as team captain to your new leader," he faced Sasuke who blinked, Naruto beside him, grinning wildly.

Neji smirked at this. "Uchiha Sasuke."

"Me?"

"Alright teme!" the hyperactive blonde cheered, slapping his buddy on his back as the whole team congratulated him and cheered. He heard a familiar cheer from a girl and he turned around only to be tackled by that pink-haired teenager. He gave a muffled grunt when her arms wrapped around his neck, her body pressed close to him as they both fell on the gym floor, the others not minding them as they continued to talk among friends and celebrate their victory.

"That was so cool Sasuke! You did a really great job playing out there!" Sakura said, getting off of him as they both stood up. He only stared at her as she continued to rant about things, congratulating him for being the new captain of the team and all. Without thinking, he grasped this chance to voice out his true feelings, otherwise, he won't be able to sleep peacefully tonight. "I love you."

She stopped and gaped at him, a look of shock across her face. Sasuke didn't seem to look like he was going to take back what he said but decided against it, looking at her in the eye with a determined glint. Sakura let the idea sink into her head before she blushed and looked down, smiling slightly. "I… do too…" It was his turn to look bewildered before he shook his head and looked at her. "Seriously?"

"Mm." she said. "I've been meaning to tell you, but… I thought you only saw me as a friend…" at this point, most of the people had quieted down, hearing their confession to each other. The others wondered about the sudden silence and followed suit, eyes glued to the two teenagers who were still trapped in their own world, not noticing how the gym had turned quiet all to suddenly.

Sasuke had let a smile appear on his face. "You…" he blushed a bit. "Will you be…" Their hearts pounded, she was waiting for him to ask and he was forcing himself to say it. "…my girlfriend?" he continued after taking a deep breath and looking at her eye-to-eye. They can hear faint sounds of his fans yelling "no" or some who were eager for them to be together crying out a "yes". Sakura shyly nodded, her blush not fading from her cheeks as she whispered her answer to him, yes.

* * *

"Gee, you looked really cute back there." He commented, earning a blush from her as he smirked. "So, you still want to continue?" she laughed. "Well, you asked me out on a date. You even took me out to a fancy restaurant, not to mention expensive. Plus, the way you looked when I kissed you on the cheek after taking me home."

"Well, what do you expect? I've been wanting to get a kiss from you since I had my eyes on you." He said smugly. "And your folks… they made me laugh. Your father was lecturing you about being out late at night and having a boyfriend like me, him glaring at me and your mom coming to our aid, saying that I was good-looking and all." He grinned and she laughed all the more. "Yeah, mom instantly approved you with just one look! I guess the Uchiha charm never fails eh?"

"It never will."

"Conceited…" she muttered. He smirked and leaned close to her. "And you like it." She giggled. "Of course I do, it makes you look hotter." He stuck his tongue out at her and she blushed, looking down. "Oh, you remember that…"

"No duh… it was my first time to get a French kiss, in public may I add."

* * *

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

"Sak, over here!"

Sakura searched for the caller and smiled upon seeing her boyfriend. She ran to him and tackled him to a hug, not minding how a few people had stared at them. He laughed a bit, seeing her grin sheepishly. "We haven't seen each other for just ten minutes and you're already this excited to meet me?" She giggled and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Well, I missed you being there to annoy me and all." She said, sticking out her tongue.

Sasuke smirked and leaned down, capturing her tongue into his mouth as he sucked onto it, liking the taste of his girl. Her eyes widened at what he did and he slowly pulled away, his lips still near hers. "Like it?" he asked above a whisper, his tone sounding so tempting that she gave a slow nod. He smirked again and licked her lower lip slowly, seducing her and making her open her mouth as he plunged his tongue into hers, letting her have a taste of him.

Their eyes were closed as they continued their little make-out session, arms beginning to roam on their backs, grasping their clothes tightly and pulling each other closer, not knowing that a few of their fans have fainted from the sight.

* * *

"Has any other girl kissed you?" she teased.

"N-no!" he said, blushing at the thought as he looked at her. "Why, did you let any other guy kiss you?" she blushed and looked away, earning a smirk from Sasuke. _Maybe a little prank won't hurt." _And he turned his smirk to a frown as he looked elsewhere. Sakura wondered why he suddenly turned silent, so she looked at him to see him frowning. "Sasuke..?" he glared at her, and she flinched under his gaze. He stood up and started to walk away when Sakura stopped him by hugging him from behind. "H-hey, are you angry?"

"What do you think?" he answered coldly.

"I'm sorry okay, I mean, no, my dad's the only guy who has ever kissed me besides you! And that's only on the cheek or forehead! You're the first guy I ever kissed and no one else!" She felt his shoulders shake and she thought that he was still angry. "Sasuke, please, don't be mad." Yet when he faced her, he was laughing. "I can't believe you fell for that!" he said, grinning at her. It took a while for Sakura t let that information sink into her head and when it did, she glared at him and sat back down on the bed, crossing her arms and pouting, avoiding his gaze.

"Sak?"

She ignored him and he smiled slightly, taking a seat beside her as he browsed at the pictures. After a few moments, he suddenly grasped her shoulder with one hand, the other seizing her chin to make her face towards him as he kissed her all of a sudden, pushing her down on his bed, his hands holding onto her wrists as she laid there, unmoving, eyes wide at the sudden action he did. When she didn't return the kiss, he deepened it, waiting for any reaction from her, and when she was about to kiss back, he pulled away, only a few centimeters apart from her lips. "Sorry." He whispered. "Don't ever do that again…" she whispered back and he nodded, leaning down to kiss her again while she closed her eyes and returned it.

He pulled away and went to her neck, kissing it then lightly sucking on her skin, letting his tongue run over the red mark he gave her as she entwined her fingers with his spiky locks. "Suke..?" he raised his head to look at her, a small smile on her lips. "Remember our first kiss and your attempts?" he smiled as well. "Aa."

* * *

Now that they were together, he was waiting for the right moment to have their first kiss. Right now, they were alone since they reached the school earlier than expected. _"Now's your chance Sasuke." _He told himself, glancing at Sakura. "Hey, Sak…" she stopped and turned to him with a smile. "What is it?" he leaned closer to her, closing his eyes in the process while she waited and shut her eyes as well.

"Sasuke, you left this you idiot!"

He instantly pulled away as Sakura took a step back, both blushing furiously as Itachi came, handing his little brother his sports bag. "How will you be able to practice basketball without your training attire?" he turned to Sakura and waved. "Hey Sakura, didn't know my little sister was there." She smiled and waved as well. Itachi turned back to Sasuke. "Geez, you're lucky I'm around to bring it to you, later!" and he left, not taking not of how Sasuke had given him a death glare.

_Attempt number 1: Failed!_

Practice had finally ended and his girlfriend had handed him a towel and bottled water. He thanked her, drinking the contents of the bottle while Sakura held onto the towel. When he was done taking a few sips, she took the liberty of wiping his sweat away, at the same time push his raven bangs out of his eyes to get a better look on where she needs to wipe.

Their gazes locked the moment his bangs were out of the way, and the towel she held stayed there on his cheek, thanks to his free hand that clasped over her own. This was it, he could feel the spark that was drawing their lips together, and when he leaned down after she had closed her eyes, a pair of arms had wrapped around him neck from behind, immediately having him straighten himself up when he was once again, disturbed from kissing his girlfriend.

"Do you mind?" he asked irritably, knowing very well who had glomped him. His fan girl, the self-declared and self-proclaimed number one fan of his, (insert "Bleh" here from Sasuke) none other than Ayame Nobaka. "Sa-suke-kuuuunnn!" she giddily said, her cheek rubbing against his back as he shuddered in disgust. Sakura giggled at his facial expression. She didn't need to be jealous, she knows very well how much Sasuke hates his fans, and besides, it was fun seeing him like this. "What the hell do you want?" he said in a deadly tone but it didn't affect the girl, not at all.

"Date please?"

He smirked, and Ayame had hopeful eyes. Sakura only shook her head, knowing very well what her boyfriend would say. "Sure," he said, earning a squeal from the girl. "Today is the ninth of December, now that I've given you the date, would you please let me go?" he glared at her. "And I mean it." Ayame's happy face turned to a frown, then to a sad and crying face as she pleaded him non-stop. "No." he said again and turned to see Sakura walking away with a smile on her face, waving goodbye to him as she muttered a "good luck" to the Uchiha, who uttered a groan.

_Attempt number 2: Failed!_

Sakura looked around, seeing no sign of her boyfriend. She was under the roof of a gazebo with the rest of the gang, minus Sasuke and Naruto. "The rain's really pouring hard, maybe I should go look for them." She said, taking Ino's umbrella. "I'm borrowing your umbrella Ino, I'll be back soon." And she left, not minding the protests of her friends.

"_Mou, Suke, where are you?" _she thought, running around the huge park she was in. They were supposed to just walk around, hang-out and do stuff yet Sasuke had to stay a little longer because their coach needed to talk to him, and Naruto, who needed to go use the comfort room, had gone of to who knows where. She sighed and stopped running, panting but still looking around until her eyes caught sight of a high school student wearing a black shirt and white knee-length shorts, basketball shoes and a black wrist band on the left, his right adorning two baller bands. His usually spiked-up hair was a bit flattened out, yet it still stuck out, not changing his hairstyle that much. His shoulder had a strap of a backpack over it as his head turned left and right, probably looking for her or any of the gang.

"Sasuke!" she yelled, catching his attention as she ran over to him, not knowing that there was a not so-large rock along the path. She tripped, dropping the umbrella as she prepared herself to fall flat on her face, only to have it and on a soaked-shirt that covered her boyfriend's flat chest. She looked up, feeling his arms wrapped around her waist where he had caught her before she could kiss the grass. Her bangs had stuck to her face, some strands of her pink tresses clinging to her neck after getting soaked by rain water. He gave a gentle smile to her. "So much for the umbrella." He helped her stand up straight, not letting his arms leave her waist as her own hands were pressed against his chest.

He looked down at her while she raised her head, their eyes meeting as he felt the magnetic pull of their lips once more. He closed his eyes, as did she, and they leaned closer to each other, their lips only a mere inch apart when…

"Teme! Sakura-chan! There you are!"

They broke apart from each other's arms and saw Naruto run over to them, only to trip on his untied shoelaces, his nose meeting the ground as mud stained his face.

"Dobe…"

_Attempt number 3: Failed!_

He was busy with his homework on the computer, typing an essay at the same time researching the history of the Ishida clan. Sasuke turned to the door when three knocks were done. He opened his mouth to say that it was open and the knob twisted, the door was pushed open and in came his girlfriend, smiling brightly at him as she closed the door behind him and walked over to him, giving him a light kiss on the cheek as she checked his computer's screen. "Whoa, you sure worked hard."

"Aa." He said while he leaned back a bit, letting Sakura take a seat on his lap. He then continued to type and save his work, checking for any grammatical error or misspelled words. After a few moments, he clicked the print icon and waited for the pages to be printed. Sasuke felt the closeness of their faces and thought that this was another good chance. He faced her and she did the same, their lips just a few centimeters apart, and they could even feel their hot breaths caress each other's faces.

Sasuke leaned closer to her as she shut her eye slowly, waiting for their lips to meet, and when he barely had a taste of her lips, the door had burst open, causing Sasuke to pull back and fall on the ground, followed by Sakura who now lay on top of him. He glared at the intruder of his room, only to see his brother string at them, eyes blinking continuously while his puppy, Haru, was there, right by Itachi's feet as it innocently pranced over to them and started tugging on Sasuke's shirt's sleeve, thinking that its master and his girlfriend were playing.

"My, you should know how to lock the door little brother." Itachi said, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "And please don't do that to here, you're still too young to do that." And he immediately closed the door when Sasuke had thrown the nearest thing his hand could get, which was the super thick history book of their school.

_Attempt number 4: Failed!_

It was getting annoying. For the past few days, he had tried to kiss Sakura yet whenever he would, an interruption always occurred, Could this little evening stroll ruin his momentum of kissing her again? Well, it was worth a shot. Yet, he was frustrated, and he didn't bother to show any signs of doing it. He had roughly placed his hands in his pants' pockets, his blue jacket zipped up to the top, the white scarf around his neck protecting him from the cold winter air while he continued cursing inwardly at the events that had happened.

Sakura just walked beside him, looking up at the falling snowflakes, smiling and humming a tune. Her hands were clasped behind her back, her red jacket zipped as well, hiding the white sweater she had on. Her baggy jeans provided warmth and comfort as they continued walking around. Sighing, he was about to say something when a beeping of the car caught his attention. Sasuke turned to see the car had lost control and that the driver was honking at them for warning. It was headed straight towards them and Sakura could get killed since she was neared.

Without thinking much of his actions, he pushed her away, the car screeching to a stop right on time yet had managed to bump into Sasuke's right arm. It wasn't too serious, just a minor sprain but it pained him none the less. The impact did some damage but at least he was still alive. Sakura had quickly rush to him and checked if he was alright, her eyes were filled with worry and tears were even threatening to fall. Sasuke gave a small smile, saying that he was fine. The driver felt really bad that he offered to take them to the nearest hospital, at the same time pay for the bill.

Sasuke had wanted to refuse yet the man was really persuasive. He paid the doctor who treated the teen's sprain, bowed down and gave an apologetic smile as well as a wish for his arm to heal soon, and he left. The couple then went to the elevator, waiting for the small, moving compartment to reach the ground floor. Sakura glanced at Sasuke and just cried silently. "You could have died." She whispered. He looked at her and shook his head, smiling at her. "As long as it was to save you, then it's fine." With his uninjured arm, he wiped her tears away and asked her to smile for him, and she did. He seized this as another opportunity and slowly leaned down to capture her lips into a sweet chaste kiss when the elevator door had opened, snapping them from their short trance as they cleared their throats and left the elevator, not being able to kiss again.

_Attempt number 5: Failed!_

After a few weeks, his arm had completely healed and he was back to doing his regular routines. For one thing, that was jogging at the sand by the beach during the break of dawn. He grabbed a pair of baggy jogging pants that were at the color of navy blue, and a dark grey hooded shirt to go with it. He put on a pair of white socks and rubber shoes and made his way to the nearby beach.

Seeing not too many people, he began to run, starting with a slow pace, then a sprint and back to the normal running speed. Though he was sweating, he could feel the cool morning breeze fan him. "Hey Sasu-kun!" he slowed down a bit, glancing to his left where he saw his girlfriend head towards him, running at the same speed he was. She had a pair of shorts on and a shirt, plus some sneakers to go with it. Her hair was tied up to a bun to prevent her hair from disrupting her view as she runs.

"You're up so early in the morning…" he said, smirking when she stuck her tongue out at him. "I felt like jogging today."

"Hn." He said, looking back straight ahead. "It's still kind of cold, so why are you wearing something that barely covers your body?" she rolled her eyes. There he goes again, lecturing her about her choice of clothing. "Oh please, as if you didn't like the outfit I wore when we went to the club with the gang the other night." He blushed while she giggled. "That was different."

"Right…"

They continued jogging for a another minute or so before stopping and deciding to just take a walk by the shore, waiting for the sun to rise while Sakura started to throw some rocks, skipping it across the water. Later on, they noticed how the sun started to peek from the clouds so they sat down on the sand beside each other, her head leaning on his shoulder after letting her hair down. _"Maybe… this is another chance…" _he thought, glancing at Sakura who looked up at him. He leaned down when he felt her hands grip onto his shirt, pulling him when she lay on her back, grinning sheepishly while he returned it with a small smile.

Again, he felt his lips being drawn to hers, and he lowered his head, his eyes slowly closing as she did the same, feeling the tips of his raven bangs tickle her face. Finally, after having failed so many times, his lips had at last, kissed hers. At long last, they had their first kiss.

_Attempt number 6: Success!

* * *

_

"I can't believe you failed so many times just to kiss me."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and leaned down on his bed, sighing as he closed his eyes. He cursed at the people who had interrupted him before when he was so close to kissing his girl. He smirked. _"At least I succeeded on the sixth try."_

Sakura saw his smirk and smiled, browsing at the pictures some more. "So, you do remember our first heated make-out session?" his smirk broaden, and he sat up, looking at her. "Why, you want to relive that day?"

* * *

He had done the winning shot, and once more, his coach was cheering. The school was proud to have a strong basketball team. Sakura and Hinata went down from the bleachers to congratulate the team. Naruto had cried out that he'll be treating the Hyuuga girl to ramen. As for Sasuke, he gave a smirk to his girl and whispered in her ear. "Want to celebrate?" she nodded and without anyone noticing, he pulled her out of the gymnasium, dragging her to a secluded area: the janitor's closet.

Sakura felt his lips press agai

* * *

nst hers, his tongue tracing her lower lip, asking her to open her mouth and let him in. What started out as a simple kiss turned to a heated French kiss and eventually, a short make-out session. They could hear Sasuke's teammates looking for him, shouting his name, saying that their coach was getting angry at the team captain for not being there for the victory speech or meeting. 

"Sasuke," she whispered as he continued to kiss and suck the skin of her neck. "I think you need to…go…" he didn't stop but only continued. "They're looking for you…" he reached her ear and nibbled on it. "Let them be, right now, I want you." And she didn't bother to tell him to go out and meet up with his team.

* * *

"You're lucky that your coach forgot all about it."

"Yeah." He turned the next page of the photo album. "Now this, I can definitely _not _forget." He said, grinning while Sakura blushed and glared at him. The picture was of Sakura wrapped in a towel and relaxing in a hot spring. "It wasn't my fault that my aunt had a camera with her!"

"I'm not blaming your aunt, I'd have to hand it to her, and she has good timing."

"Hentai…" she muttered, then stopped and glared at him. "How did you get this picture?" he thought for a while before smiling slightly as his gaze looked up at the ceiling. "It was when you and your aunt went to Konoha Hot Springs and it just so happens that my parents took me and my brother there on the same date you were to check-in. We were already close at that time and your aunt sort of gave me the picture with a mischievous smile."

"Gah! And you took it?"

"Why not?" he asked back, a sly look on his face as he leaned closer to her, making the girl drop the photo album as he had her lay on his bed, his arms on the side of her head, supporting his body over hers. "I'd have to say, it gave me an erection." She blushed a deep red when he lowered his head, the tips of his raven bangs touching her face as he closed the gap of their lips, his tongue sticking out and tracing it across hers in a seductive manner. She shivered under him and opened her mouth, letting his tongue sink in and ravage the inner sides of her mouth. He parted and tasted her neck, loving the way she called out his name.

"Mmph- Sa-suke-kun…" she managed to say as he pulled apart, gazing into her eyes as she looked dazed. "Yes hime?" he asked playfully. "Don't stop…" and he nodded, his right hand untying the knot of the apron she wore, taking it off of her with her help. He reached the end of her shirt as he raised it up bit, letting his hand go up under her top, touching her smooth skin while she arched her back, leaning her body closer to his. He leaned down and kissed her, her arms going to his back and untying the knot of his apron. She removed it when he pulled away to help her out and leaned down again, unable to wait longer for their lips to lock.

He pulled away and smirked. "There's one more thing that I remember." She tilted her head a bit. "Camping trip, we shared one tent and you said you couldn't sleep." He whispered, amused when she blushed. "Which eventually led you to kissing me, until we did another-"

"Alright, don't remind me!"

Sasuke just smirked. "I don't need to remind you," he said, leaning down. "I can just make you relive the memory by experiencing it again." His lips locked onto hers in an aggressive kiss, parting slightly as he flicked her earlobe with his tongue, his smirk widened upon the shiver she made when he breathed on her ear. Instead of giving in to what she wants, he only continued to tease her, earning a glare from his girlfriend. She pushed him away and sat up, mimicking his trademark smirk. "You know, I think something else happened back then." He cocked a brow at her and she pulled him up, her arms wrapping around his neck as she pulled him to a kiss, not answering his questioning look.

He felt cold water touch the bare parts of his body, his clothes getting soaked and his hair flattened a bit. He stared at her, seeing how her clothes had clung to her body, showing off her curves as he felt his pants tighten. "You saw me naked on that day remember?" she whispered in his ear, making him shiver on the tone she used. "I was taking a bath in the lake, and you saw me, which led to us, taking a bath together." And he felt her hands remove his top, him doing the same thing, slowly striping each other off of their clothes. Yep, nothing beats a good reminiscing of the past.

_**To be continued…

* * *

**_

_Next on Snapshot: Chapter 7: Why? _

"He was just an old college friend Sasuke!" she yelled, tears beginning to well up in her emerald eyes. Sasuke didn't look at her but just continued staring at his motorcycle. What he saw and heard had struck his heart just like the day she broke up with him. "Sasuke, you have to believe me. It was just a kiss on the cheek, I couldn't tell him to not do that, and I don't feel anything towards him! He means nothing to me!" he remained silent, his eyes remained glued on his bike. "Your dad…" he whispered. "He said you were engaged…" he turned to her, and for the first time, she saw his eyes watery. "Why didn't you just tell me..?" and without letting her speak or explain, he put on his helmet and drove off, far away from where Sakura was, far away from her.

* * *

_A/N: I just feel angsty. Every story needs some angst! For the 6 attempts, thanks to a very good friend of mine, **Uchiharu Sakhara **and her cousin, as well as her cousin's girlfriend!  
_


	7. Why

**Snapshot**

The sunlight blinded his vision when he opened his eyes, only to close them again when he couldn't stand the brightness of the light. Slowly, he sat up, the blanket that covered his shirtless body sliding off of him as he brought a hand to rub the sleep away from his eyes. He yawned and glanced at the digital clock that lay on the table a few feet away, blinking a bit then turning to the bathroom door where his girlfriend came out, wrapped only in a towel and another one that she used to dry her long, dripping wet hair. She felt him looking at her that she turned to him and smiled. "Morning yami nin." She greeted.

"Mor-" he yawned again, earning a giggle from her. "Go take a shower so that you'll be fully awake, you still have to report to the studio later."

"Hn." He responded, getting out of bed, clad only in his boxers. He blinked a few more times before standing up, Sakura tiptoeing to give him a good morning kiss on the cheek. He smiled slightly and headed to his bathroom door, shutting it close once he stepped inside. Just a few seconds later, she heard her mobile ringing, and quickly, she opened the flap to answer the caller. Her green eyes widened upon hearing the voice of the caller that she nearly dropped her phone on the floor. A smile was slowly forming on her lips. "Hey Akira!"

* * *

_**Chapter 7: Why?**_

"Are you sure you don't need a lift?"

Sakura nodded, ushering her boyfriend to go on ahead. Sasuke shrugged and inserted the key, starting the engine of his bike. "Last call tenshi." She laughed and punched him on the arm playfully, having him shut his right eye, his facial expression looking like the hit she gave him hurt. "Very funny Suke…" she murmured, smiling. "Go on, you'll be late." He tilted his head upwards, "Feh, like that melanin-less hair pervert would care." She giggled and shook her head. "See you later." She whispered, giving him a light kiss on his lips. He returned the kiss and smiled back after parting. He put on his helmet, "Later." And he closed the clasp of the headgear, driving out of the vicinity and out on the road, leaving a waving Sakura behind.

"_Akira…" _he thought. _"Who's he?" _before he even turned on the showers a while ago, he heard her say the name 'Akira', causing him to wonder who he was. _"But then, there are girls who are named 'Akira', so… maybe…" _he pulled over when he arrived at the studio, took off his helmet and shook his head a bit, his bangs getting back in place. _"He or she, it doesn't matter._" He smiled slightly and took his motor key, putting it inside his pocket as he entered the building. _"I trust Sakura, and I know she isn't seeing anybody else." _ He dismissed the thought and knocked on Kakashi's office door, hearing the man say "come in". He pushed open the door and closed it behind him when he stepped inside, waiting for Kakashi to give him permission to sit down.

"The photos you took during the modeling night and social gathering turned out great." He commented, gesturing the photographer to sit down and listen to what he has to say. "Not to mention how Sakura seems more beautiful than ever." He eyed one picture of Sakura as he smiled slightly and looked at Sasuke. "Looks like you two are really made for each other." Sasuke only smirked and shook his head, glancing at the window behind his boss. "I've heard that a lot of times already. I'm just waiting for one particular person to say it to me."

"Oh?" Kakashi's visible eye crinkled in amusement. "Who?"

"Haruno Ikichi."

* * *

"Ah-choo!"

Sakura and her friend looked at Ikichi who sniffled and waved a hand at them. "Morning flu…" he muttered, earning a nod from the two who continued to talk. Ikichi watched as they conversed, a smirk forming on his lips as he saw how Akira complimented his daughter who smiled her thanks. Albeit disappointed that Sakura did not blush from the flattery, unlike if it was Sasuke, he still felt contented that she was with another guy for a change. _"Another guy…" _he thought, tapping an index finger on his chin. "Sakura," she turned to her father. "Since it's Akira's first time in Japan, even if he's half-American and half-Japanese, why don't you show him around and teach him a few basic Japanese words?"

Akira blinked and turned to Sakura, silently asking her to translate Ikichi's words. On the other hand, the girl only stared at her father, thinking about Ikichi's idea. _"But I'll be meeting Suke later…" _she groaned inwardly but forced a smile, nodding. _"I guess I can introduce Akira to him, I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I explain it." _She got up and faced Akira. "My father suggested that I show you around, shall we?" the boy nodded and stood up, bowing slightly to Ikichi who acknowledged him. _"This will be good…" _Ikichi thought evilly, watching the two leave the house side by side.

She could tell that he was trying to purposely brush his hand against hers but she acted as natural as she could by clasping her hands behind her back and smiling at the clear blue sky. She was aware that Akira fancies her, but she only sees him as a friend, nothing more. "So, where would you like to go Akira-san?" she asked in an English language. Akira smiled a bit. "Please Sakura, no formalities. Anywhere will do, but first, I would like to know, what does your name mean? I'm sure that every Japanese name has its meanings. My _oka-san_ told me that mine meant intelligent."

Sakura laughed inwardly at how he tried to pronounce the Japanese word for mother. "Mine means Cherry Blossom. My mom said that she wanted to name her daughter 'Sakura', and after she gave birth to me and realized that my hair color was pink, she gave me the name, and my father gladly approved of it."

"I see…" he nodded in understanding. "Cherry blossom," he grinned. "I'd like to call you that." She shook her head though, stopping as she turned to face a nearby cherry tree. "Only one person has ever called me that, even if it's only once, but he's the only one who can ever call me that." She smiled upon remembering their first date.

"_Is it okay if I call you Cherry Blossom when I feel like it?" he grinned sheepishly._

"Who..?" Akira asked.

"He who was named after a great ninja: Uchiha Sasuke."

"Sasuke…" he said, testing how the name sounds. "He's… another one of your friends?"

"No," she said. "He's my boyfriend."

"Wait a minute, you have a boyfriend?"

"Yeah, why?" she asked, blinking.

Akira looked down, his eyebrows knitted. "So, you don't know."

"Know what?"

"That you're my fiancée."

* * *

"_Deliver these to the Haruno estate." _He repeated Kakashi's words over and over before sighing and getting on his bike. It had been a long day for him, and the sun was slowly setting. He gazed at the big ball of fire, thinking if he could actually face Haruno Ikichi's questions that were starting to annoy him. Making sure that the envelope was sealed and safely tucked in his backpack; he put his helmet on and rode off to the Haruno's. _"Come to think of it, Sakura's going to be there, so it'll save more time." _If not, he'll most likely pass her by and then he can pick her up on his way to Ikichi's mansion or back to his apartment.

He saw the place up ahead and pulled over, making sure he didn't park it in the "no parking" zone. Sasuke then pressed the doorbell, hearing one of the maids ask for his identity through the intercom. He told them his name and purpose and the gates automatically opened. He then entered, clutching the strap of his backpack and made his way through the front door, where a maid opened it for him and led him to the living room where Ikichi awaited, sipping his cup of coffee and an eerie smile on his lips. "Good to see you again, _Sasuke_."

The said boy stopped in his tracks, his brows creased, wondering why Ikichi called him by his first name and not last. They still weren't in good terms, unless Ikichi finally gave up or the man had something planned. "Sir, Kakashi told me to hand you the developed photos in your social gathering at GCP," he took out the envelope from his bag and handed it over to Ikichi's outstretched hand. He didn't leave, waiting for the Haruno patriarch to dismiss him formally. "You know, I feel great today," he said, taking the photos out and looking at each and every image. "You did really good job in taking these pictures, for that, I'm feeling kind enough to tell you something Sakura hasn't told you."

His instincts told him to leave, telling him that what was about to come next wasn't going to be pretty, yet he ignored the voices in his head, remembering that he came from a well-respected and well-known family, despite Ikichi's lack of knowledge of the Uchiha's, so he must pay his respects and be polite. "And what might that be sir?" he asked, regretting it mentally upon seeing the smug look on the man's face. "Did she mention who Akira is?" he didn't reply, so Ikichi continued. "The reason why I keep tearing you apart from each other is because…" he stood up, his eyes holding a solemn look as they stared into Sasuke's onyx orbs. "I accepted you like a son when she first introduced you to me. Yet I couldn't show it, because… Akira… he is Sakura's fiancé."

Sasuke almost dropped his bag but his reflexes acted fast, not seeming to give Ikichi the impression that he was shocked. He forced a small smile. "Nice try sir, but please, if there's nothing else you'd like to say, I must be on my way." He bowed down a bit and turned his back on Ikichi, only to stop when the man's hand rested on his shoulder and gripped it firmly. "I'm serious Sasuke, I didn't want to see you hurt. That's why I tried so hard to pretend to hate you, so that you'll forget about Sakura, so that you won't get hurt in the end. I admire your loyalty and devotion to my daughter, and if only the engagement could be cancelled, I'd gladly do so, but it can't, Akira's parents saved my wife's life when she was hospitalized during our stay in the States while Sakura was still in elementary school. If it weren't for them, my wife would've died. I asked them how I could ever repay their kindness and generosity, and they asked for our kids to be engaged, to seal the bond."

"If this is true," he said, turning his head to face Ikichi. "Then why didn't you just say so in the first place? I find the story hard to believe, also, I find it suspicious for you to be telling me just now."

"I didn't want to see you hurt, that's why I tried to break the two of you up while Akira was still in the States."

"You didn't want to see me hurt, then why didn't you stop and think that tearing me and Sakura apart wouldn't hurt me at all?" that caught Ikichi off-guard, and he wasn't able to counter or answer back. Sasuke lowered his head and smirked. "Nice try sir, I'll be going now." And he left the estate, leaving Ikichi dumbfounded. _"Don't say I didn't warn you, Uchiha." _

"_It has to be a trick, there's no way Sakura would hide something like that from me." _He told himself as he rode down the street, avoiding hitting pedestrians and bumping into cars. He looked ahead to see Sakura's pink hair swaying with the wind. Smiling slightly, he rode faster, stopping a few feet away from where she stood. He removed his helmet, his mouth opening to call out her name but his voice didn't seem to work, and he found himself staring in disbelief. Of all the things that had happened, this was definitely something that shattered his heart to a million pieces.

* * *

Sakura looked down when Akira kissed her cheek. She wanted to avoid him, but she didn't want to be rude, so she just let him do as he pleases. She didn't have anything to loose anyway, it was just a friendly kiss on the cheek, yet why did she feel like she betrayed her boyfriend? "Sakura?" she snapped from her thoughts and looked up at Akira, seeing him give a questioning look. She forced a smile and shook her head. "It's nothing. Thanks for the dinner though." He nodded and looked straight ahead, seeing the raven haired Uchiha staring at them as if the world was ending. Sakura, wondering what he was looking at, turned around only to have her eyes widened. "S-Sasuke-kun..?"

Akira heard the name and he waved a hand at the newcomer, walking over to him and extending out a hand. "Uchiha Sasuke right?" Sasuke blinked and gave an unsure nod, taking Akira's hand as they shook. "Oh, you understand English! That's great! I guess we can be good friends eh?" he turned to Sakura. "Well then cherry, since your friend's here, I'll leave you two alone, I still need to do some unpacking." He waved at them and ran, catching a cab and heading towards the Haruno estate.

Sasuke lowered his head, his bangs hiding his eyes. "Friend, huh?"

"N-no! I told him you're my boyfriend! I don't know why he said that!"

"Yeah, I don't know why he called you Cherry too," he looked at her, his eyes seeming to be cold and distant. "Back then, you told me never to call you that, you even said that you'll only allow me to have the right or privilege of calling you that, yet Akira just called you that…"

"S-Sasuke…"

"Hn. He even kissed you," he looked down "And you seemed to not mind it at all."

"He was just an old college friend Sasuke!" she yelled, tears beginning to well up in her emerald eyes. Sasuke didn't look at her but just continued staring at his motorcycle. What he saw and heard had struck his heart just like the day she broke up with him. "Sasuke, you have to believe me. It was just a kiss on the cheek, I couldn't tell him to not do that, and I don't feel anything towards him! He means nothing to me!" he remained silent, his eyes remained glued on his bike. "Your dad…" he whispered. "He said you were engaged…" he turned to her, and for the first time, she saw his eyes watery. "Why didn't you just tell me..?" and without letting her speak or explain, he put on his helmet and drove off, far away from where Sakura was, far away from her.

"Sasuke!" she yelled but he only picked up the pace and drove faster, expertly avoiding the cars before him. _"Why..?_" he thought. _"Why didn't you just tell me? Why didn't I just believe Ikichi? Why did I… fall in love with you?" _it was what he always wanted to ask himself. He wondered why and how. _"Why did you fall in love with me..?" _he wanted to ask her that too. _"Did you really love me..?" _

It then started to rain…

His vision started to blur from the tears and rain water, and he was riding faster than ever. He saw headlights up ahead, but he didn't bother to steer his bike. He shut his eyes as the tears continued to stream down from his eyes. _"I guess… it's goodbye…" _

"_I already told you before,"_

His eyes widened.

"_I'll always be here."_

"Shit." He cursed and hit the breaks immediately. _"I can't die, I promised her…" _Yet he wasn't able to stop in time. The two machines clashed, the impact of the sudden halt caused Sasuke to fly towards the car's window. With a quick twist of his body, his back crashed first, having saved his neck from breaking yet earning fatal injuries to have him in a near-death state.

"Somebody call an ambulance!" yelled one of the citizens who witnessed the scene. The driver of the car, who had a few cuts as well, stepped out immediately and helped the other people who carefully brought the Uchiha lad out of the car, making sure that he was safely out of harm's way. "Sasuke!" they turned to see a white-eyed boy and a bun-haired girl approach the unconscious photographer. Slowly, the boy removed Sasuke's helmet and laid his injured head on the ground gently. "How is he doing Neji?" Ten-Ten asked worriedly. "He needs to be sent to the hospital! He's loosing too much blood!" and they could hear the siren as medics came out with a stretcher, carefully putting the victim and strapping him safely. Neji and Ten-Ten went with the ambulance as the girl took out her phone and started to call the Uchihas.

"What the hell happened?" Neji asked, looking at his friend. Ten-Ten shrugged and glanced at Sasuke as well before hearing the other end answer the phone. "Itachi-san?"

"Yeah, who's this?"

"Itachi-san! Sasuke got into an accident! He's being sent to the hospital!"

"What the- Is this some kind of sick joke?"

"No! I'm serious! Sasuke is in a near-death situation!"

Fugaku and Mikoto looked at Itachi who had his eyes wide and the look of disbelief. The Uchiha patriarch stood up and took the phone from Itachi. "What's going on? May I know who this is?"

"Uchiha-san, this is Ten-Ten, I'm a friend of Sasuke, and your son has just suffered fatal injuries from an accident that happened earlier!"

"WHAT?" he turned to Mikoto. "Turn on the news, now!" she nodded and turned the TV on, switching to the local news channel. Her knees buckled when the reporter had said about an accident that involved a car and a motorcycle, as well as the victim who goes by the name of Uchiha Sasuke.

"Shit!" Itachi cursed and took off, grabbing his car keys and getting on his car. "I'll meet you guys at the hospital!" and he drove off, heading somewhere else. _"She has to know this…" _he pulled over at the front gate and instead of ringing the doorbell, he yelled Sakura's name.

"Sakura!" he yelled, again and again amidst the booming of thunder and heavy raindrops pounding on the ground. Inside, Ikichi, Akira and Sakura wondered what was going on. A maid ran to them, reporting who she saw outside. After hearing that the man looked like Sasuke, Sakura instantly went out under the pouring rain, seeing Itachi on the other side of the gates. She opened them and asked what was wrong.

"Sasuke, he got into an accident!"

Her eyes widened and Akira and Ikichi, who followed Sakura outside, froze. "W-what..?" she asked, not seeming to believe what she heard. Itachi pulled Sakura and pushed her inside the passenger seat. He got into the driver's seat and drove at a fast pace towards the hospital, Ikcihi and Akira tailing behind. "What happened Sakura? There is no way my brother would have gotten into an accident unless he isn't paying attention." He glanced at the girl who remained quiet, the look of shock on her face still evident. "Sakura."

"It's my fault…" she suddenly whispered, hanging her head low. "It's my fault…"

He didn't know what she meant, but he chose not to push it and just sighed, driving as fast as he can to the nearby hospital, at the same time, praying for his brother. _"God, please," _he gripped the steering wheel. _"Save my brother…"_ It took them almost 30 minutes to reach the hospital and find a parking space. Quickly rushing inside the building, Itachi asked a nurse where his brother was. Upon getting the room number and floor level, they rushed to the elevators, impatiently waiting for their turn. Ikichi and Akira came afterwards, heading towards them as Sakura's father panted and turned to Itachi. "What do you mean by your little brother getting into an accident?"

"Shut up old man." He muttered; a glare forming as he looked at Ikichi who took a step back, shocked by the hostile attitude. "I'm pretty sure you know why." He turned back to the elevator, staring at the numbers that seemed to go _very _slow, mocking him. Sakura, who couldn't take the suspense anymore, turned and ran up the stairs, ignoring the calls that her father and Akira gave. _"Sasuke, please, don't die…" _her eyes started to blur from the tears that were forming. _"Please don't leave me…" _

Up ahead, she saw Sasuke's parents standing and staring through the glass windows. They turned to her direction upon hearing her footsteps and heavy panting. Not minding their questioning looks, she stopped and stared right through the glass, seeing doctors rushing and performing a series of bandaging, sewing up cuts, removing shards of glasses and trying to keep the victim alive. Her eyes widened upon seeing how his heart rate was slowing down, his pulse rate beginning to lower, and how she saw his shut eyes narrow some more, his breath seeming to be shallow and heavy as if he ran a marathon. "Sasuke!" she yelled, yet he wouldn't hear her due to the sound proof walls inside, despite how she banged on the glass windows or how her voice grew louder. Her knees weakened and she staggered a bit, falling slowly as she cried some more.

Nurses started coming to her, pulling her away but she wouldn't move and just continued to shed tears, watching how her yami nin was slowly giving in to death. "Sakura," she felt a hand placed on her shoulder. She slowly looked up to see her "brother" standing there, a serious look on his face. "He wouldn't like you to be like this," he turned to Sasuke and narrowed his eyes. "It pains him when you cry."

"_Smile for me tenshi."_

She closed her eyes but still continued to cry silently. "I-I can't… smile right now…" she whispered, earning questioning looks from the people around her. Despite the sound proofed walls, she heard a doctor say something she was praying not to hear.

"We're loosing him!"

Immediately getting up and running towards the door, she pushed it open, startling everyone in the room. The nurses outside tried to pry her out of the room but she ran to Sasuke, not minding how the doctors warned her. "Don't!" she yelled, reaching his side and falling to her knees, her hands shakily moving over his body, gripping on his bloody shirt as she cried. "I-

I… you promised me! You said you'll always be there for me no matter what! Please, don't… don't leave me!" once more, she shed tears, the water droplets falling on the bed sheets as she slowly stood up and bent over him, her lips near his ear, her hands clasping one of his own. "I won't let go… I can't smile for you right now… you won't be able to see me…" she said, not getting any reaction from the unconscious boy. She gave a sad smile, letting salty tears continue to flow down. "You once told me, that death wouldn't solve anything… so please…" she shut her eyes and no longer resisted herself as she threw herself at him, making sure it wouldn't damage his wounds further. "Please, Sasuke, don't die!"

"_I'll always be here…"_

His brows creased and his hand responded to her, flinching.

One doctor turned to see any improvements and his eyes widened, surprised at the sudden change. He gestured the rest of his co-workers as one of them pulled Sakura away gently, smiling at her as she blinked confusingly. "Someone up there must really love the two of you." He whispered. She turned to Sasuke, seeing him going back to normal state, albeit unconscious yet alive. "Sasuke-kun…" she whispered. She let Itachi pull her out of the room as the doctors continued to treat the young Uchiha's fatal wounds and bandaging him properly. They failed to notice the small smile tug at his lips, yet his brother, being gifted with a sharp eye, had seen it, and he couldn't help but smirk inwardly. _"Sasuke no baka…"

* * *

_

Weeks passed yet still no sign of Sasuke waking up. His family and friends started to worry but the family doctor said that it was normal after suffering from both a sudden emotional breakdown and an attempt to kill himself and then decide on the last minute to live. "Even if his helmet took most of the impact, it still caused him to loose consciousness. He's far from dying, and he looks normal, setting aside the fact that he's in a coma, as far as I can say, he may wake up at around the last week of this month."

Fugaku gave a nod at the doctor who spared Sasuke a glance. He pushed up his specs and smiled slightly. "To be honest, he's quite a fighter. Usually, patients like him easily give up and die, despite our attempts to revive them." He turned to the girl who sat by Sasuke's bedside. "I guess love can conquer all, even in life and death situations."

"Cliché Kabuto-san." Mikoto commented, smiling a bit. She then walked over to Sakura and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you for coming Sakura, I hope you don't mind to stay with him, me and my husband still have to report to work, despite our excuse that Sasuke is here." She glanced at her son and bore a sad a smile on her face. "I just don't get why he would kill himself and then think otherwise on the last minute. It's not like he's going to be alone in this world…" she wiped her tears away and turned back to Sakura. "We'll be going then."

"Hai." She replied, her voice barely above a whisper. Itachi glanced at their direction. "I have to go to, I'll come back maybe tomorrow. Sakura?"

"..?"

"Call me when he gives any reaction."

* * *

"Geez teme, how long are you going to sleep?"

The rest sighed at how Naruto conversed with his friend, babbling about the things they would do if only the "teme" was awake. "And by now, you'd probably be telling me to shut my trap, too bad you're unconscious." He stared at the sleeping Uchiha and sighed. Neji simply looked outside the window with Ten-Ten beside him, looking outside as well. Ino arranged the flowers on the side table, Shikamaru sat at one corner, arms crossed and seemingly asleep as well. Chouji ate chips and watched Kiba and Shino play cards. Hinata was talking with Sakura who still seemed to be depressed at what happened. "It's my fault." She said all of a sudden, causing the whole gang to stare at her, even Shikamaru. "I wish I could have told him earlier about Akira, I wish I didn't let that guy kiss me on the cheek, I wish I didn't go to my dad's house…" she clenched her fists that rested on her lap and shut her eyes, fighting the urge to cry. "It's my entire fault."

Hinata turned to the others who gave a nod as those who were seated stood up. She faced Sakura and gave a small smile. "Even if you say that, I'm sure Sasuke won't blame you." She got up and bowed down a bit. "I guess we'll all go, I'm sure you want to stay here alone with him for a while." Sakura nodded and looked up to stare at Sasuke's sleeping form. She heard some of her friends bid goodbye until the door closed with a soft thud.

(Play First Love by Utada Hikaru, preferably the piano version)

She got up and approached him, standing by his bedside. "Hey Yami nin…" she whispered in a sad tone, a forced smile on her lips. She frowned though, and looked away. "I know you don't want me to force a smile," she said and faced him again. "But how could I smile with you in this state..?" she sat down beside him, her hand caressing his bandaged one, holding it afterwards. "I always did cause you pain…" she whispered, gazing at his sleeping face. "I never sacrificed anything for you… yet you almost gave away your life because and for me." Tears dropped on their entwined hands.

"Your journals, when Itachi-niisan made me read them, you don't know how it pained me to know how you felt all these years, how you coped with your life on your own." A sad smile formed on her lips. "You told me before, when we were gazing at the stars one night on our prom day, when I asked you…"

"_Sasuke-kun..?" he turned his head to her as she gazed at the stars. "What would you do if I suddenly go away?" he was a bit startled by the question, yet he smiled slightly, his eyes half-closed as he positioned himself behind her and wrapped his arms around her, earning a surprised look from his tenshi. "I'll go look for you, and if I can't…" he closed his eyes and inhaled the scent of her hair. "Then it would be the same as being alone in this world, despite my family being there, despite our friends surrounding me. I'd still feel alone if you leave." _

"I'm so stupid for forgetting about that when I lied to you and told you that I didn't love you anymore. I forgot how alone you would've felt!" her grip on his hand tightened. "I don't deserve you Sasuke… you deserve someone else." She cried some more. "I… I decided to…" she suddenly closed her mouth, not wanting to continue. Taking a deep breathe in, she wiped her tears away and looked at him, for perhaps, maybe, one last time. "I…" her free hand clutched the silver necklace around her neck. Retrieving her other hand from his, she unhooked the accessory and placed it on his palm, closing his hand on it. "I guess you know what this means…" she whispered and lowered his head to his. "I love you, and I always will, you're my first and my last love… even if… there will be someone who will take your place, they won't steal your spot in my heart." And she closed the gap of their lips, parting after a few seconds. "…Goodbye… Yami nin…" she got up, failing to take note how his fist clenched and held onto her necklace tightly.

(Stop playing the music here)

She was about to open the door when someone else beat her to it from the other side. She frowned upon seeing who it was. "I never expected you to be here…"

"Sakura, I-"

"Save it dad." She looked away. "I hope you're happy now," he noticed something missing from her, and he realized that it was the necklace that Sasuke gave her years back. "I bid him goodbye, and this time, for good." And she ran pass her father, ignoring the stares of the people. Ikichi tore his gaze away from his daughter. "What should I do..?" he asked himself, and then looked at Sasuke. "What will you do?"

* * *

He flinched and slowly opened his eyes, seeing white. Blinking to clear his vision, he asked the first question that popped in his head. _"Where am I..?" _he tried to remember what happened, but nothing seemed to come in mind. "I see you're finally awake." Tilting his head to the side, he squinted, trying to scrutinize who the person was. "Nii-san..?" he asked, earning a nod from him as he got up and approached his little brother. "Mom and dad said they'll come later. So, how are you feeling?" Sasuke looked up and thought for a moment. "I… don't know… I feel like I… lost something…"

"Or someone."

Throwing a questioning look at Itachi, the older Uchiha just sighed and picked up the phone, calling the front desk downstairs and asking for their family doctor to come and check his brother up. Sasuke blocked the conversation his brother had with the doc and tried to remember the past days. _"How long have I been asleep..?" _he clenched his fists when he was frustrated at not remembering, his right hand feeling something cold. Curious, he raised his arm, feeling the pain and tingling sensation it gave for not being moved for a long time. Finally having the blood circulation back, his eyes widened when he saw the necklace. "Sakura..?" Itachi hang up and turned to Sasuke. "Bingo."

Suddenly sitting up and ignoring the pain signals his body sent to his brain, he turned to Itachi with narrowed brows and widened eyes. "Since when?" He wasn't a prodigy for no reason. And trusting his instincts when it involved his tenshi, he immediately caught up to what situation he and Sakura was in. He knew, just from the necklace, that Sakura plans to leave him for good. _"Baka…" _he thought, tightening his hold on the necklace. _"Baka!" _Itachi only pocketed his hands and closed his eyes. "Two days ago, and if you must know, the event will start three days from now. You have until then."

"But how long am I going to be confined here?"

"Actually, I can let you go tomorrow, since most of your wounds are healed." They turned to the door to see Kabuto enter, holding a clipboard. "Oh, and before I forget, Haruno Ikichi-san came by yesterday after Sakura-san left. He told me to tell you to go see him. He said he wanted to talk to you." He noticed the two brothers clench their fists and Kabuto smiled. "He said you won't regret it."

* * *

For once, she cursed fate, she cursed time, and… she cursed the person seated in front of her. Still, she forced a smile. It wasn't Sasuke in front of her, so she can fake her smiles and reserve them for someone who deserves those genuine grins. Besides, the guy couldn't even tell if she was really happy or not, that's why it made her groan inwardly that her father had to choose Akira as her fiancée. _"Not to mention how egoistic and flirty he could be…" _she added in her mind, rolling her eyes when Akira had, once more, teased the waitress serving them tonight, flirting as she'd like to call it. She didn't know if he was doing it on purpose to make her jealous, but she could care less. _"The only way I'd feel jealousy is if you were Sasuke." _At the thought of his name, her lips turned to a sad one, her eyes loosing more of its sparkle, and she lowered her head, gazing at her lap. _"If he was here, he would've asked me what's wrong by now, and… he would probably tell me to smile for him, and I would give a forced one, yet he'd smile and ask for a real one, adding sweet words to it, originally made by him, to and for me, and that would make me smile." _

"Sakura..?"

For a moment, when she looked up, she thought it was Sasuke, but after blinking a few times, her lit up eyes turned gloomy once more when she realized that it was only Akira. He smiled at her, and she returned it with a fake one. "Yes?" she asked. "Did you enjoy the dinner?"

"_No. One is because you're not Sasuke, two you kept flirting with the waitress and lastly, you picked the restaurant where I had my first date with Sasuke as our first _official_ date! Damn you! I hope you die and rot in hell soon Akira!" _she added a prayer of forgiveness, offering it to God and forced a smile at her… date. "Of course I did!" she replied. _"Not." _Again, he smiled and fished out his wallet to pay for the bill. Sakura felt her mobile vibrating, so she took it out and read the message. Her eyes widened upon seeing who the sender was and what his message said: _I hope you're not cursing him to hell tenshi. If you can, meet me outside the restaurant's garden, I need to talk to you. I'll wait, no matter how long it takes._

"Um… Akira, can I go on ahead of you?" she asked. "Oh, wait, I'll go walk you home." She shook her head. "I'm not heading home yet, I just want to take a walk around, alone, to recollect my thoughts." He gave an unsure nod, and she smiled her thanks, inwardly sighing in relief. _"I hope he bought my fake smile act again." _And she walked outside, checking to see if Akira was still seated. When he was, she immediately walked down the three steps of the entrance and searched for the sender of her message. Again, her phone vibrated, and she took it out of her bag, answering the caller. "Hello?"

"Change of plans, go to GCP now, and don't hang up."

She was happy to hear his voice again, but a bit annoyed that she had to cross the street just to meet with him. "Sasuke, Akira might follow."

"He won't, he's too busy flirting with the waitress."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Did you plan this?"

"Maybe."

She sighed and crossed the street, then walked to GCP, entering the open gates. As soon as she did, the dim place was lighted with lights, giving her a pathway. "Did you..?"

"Not exactly, the guards and maintenance helped."

She smiled slightly. "In short, you did."

"Say what you want." He answered as she continued to walk.

"Where are you anyway?"

"Follow the lights Sak."

She did and stopped when she saw him standing a few feet away from her, yet it was dark on his side. He smiled at her. "Still don't get it?" she shook her head and he told her to come closer. When she did, the whole place lit up. Nearby, a fountain was turned on; the lights giving a romantic glow and atmosphere as she finally got a good look of his face. His forehead had a bandage wrapped around it; his left cheek also had one. Most of his cuts were healed, and she was glad for that. He hung up, and she did as well as he walked closer to her, only a feet away from his tenshi. "My life is as dark as night, until you came to light it up." He said, "Cheesy, but it's the only line I could think of on such short notice."

She looked down at this. "So, you know…" he gave a nod and used his left hand to raise her head. "Smile for me?" he asked, and she forced one, again, he shook his head. "A real smile tenshi." How she missed those lines, how she missed him, and how she longed to just forget about her decision and go back into his life. Her eyes formed tears and she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms tight around his neck. He was thankful that he had a lot of vitamin K in him, resulting to his wounds to heal faster. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her waist, his right arm still had bandages around it. He closed his eyes and cherished the moment. "Don't go." He said when he felt her try to pull away, and he only tightened his hold on her, letting her know how he meant it.

"I can't Suke," she whispered. "As much as I want to stay, I can't."

"Forget everything else tonight," he whispered back. "Right now," he pulled away slightly and looked down at her tear-filled eyes. "It's just you and me." And he closed the distance of their lips, their eyes automatically closing. They pulled away for air and gazed into each other's eyes, their arms still wrapped around each other's body. "Come home with me…" he said and she nodded, giving in to him.

The two of them walked there, their hands not letting go of the other. "Sasuke, I-"

"Don't." he said, his grip on her hand tightening. "Don't speak or say a word."

They reached his apartment and went up to his room. He was thankful that his brother still hasn't come by to drop off Haru. He closed the door and locked it behind him, walked over to her as she kissed him again, entangling her fingers with his spiky hair. He pushed their bodies on his bed, slowly discarding their clothes. "Aishteru…" he whispered when he parted to go to her neck, she replied the same words to him and held his body close. She knew that what she was doing was wrong, especially after the decision she made. Yet somehow, she can't help it.

She felt his hand roam her body, teasing her as she giggled and felt the smirk that formed on his lips against her collarbone. "S-Sasu-ke-!" he pulled away and laughed a bit. "Sorry, couldn't help it." He said, grinning. She smiled, staring at his face and placed a hand on his cheek. "I missed you." She whispered. "Aa." He said and leaned down. "I know." He had them in another lip lock, his tongue slowly licking her lip, pushing the upper and lower apart. She gave him access and parted her lips; their tongues excitedly meet and intrude the other's mouth. Her grip on him tightened when one of his hands reached her inner thigh, stopping for a moment. She pushed him a bit and whispered in his ear: "Go ahead…" and he gave a nod as his hand came in contact with her core, inserting two fingers inside her slowly. She shut her eyes and he pulled his hand back, pushing her bangs away from her face.

He never wanted to cause her pain, and from her reaction a while ago, he was starting to regret doing this. Yet when her soft hands guided his own back to where it was earlier, he looked at her hesitatingly, to which she gave a reassuring smile. "Are you… sure..?" she nodded. "Do it…" she whispered. Not wanting to see her flinch again, he closed his eyes and kissed her lips, repeating the same thing he did earlier. He could tell that she tried to suppress the moan that threatened to come out. He pulled his fingers out of her after doing the process alternately slow and fast. He brought his wet fingers up, right between their faces and smirked as she blushed under his intent gaze. Slowly, his tongue licked her juice, commenting on how sweet it was before he dove down, causing her inner muscles to tighten. Her thighs were also forcing themselves to cover her core, feeling shy but he prevented that from happening and continued with what he was doing.

"_Forget everything else Sakura…" _she said to herself. _"Forget about the past, forget about everyone, everyone but Sasuke…" _she closed her eyes, letting the moment be forever embedded in her head. _"It's just me… and him… tonight…"

* * *

_

"I thought you said you wanted to talk to me?" she asked, closing her eyes when she laid her head on his bare chest. He held her close to him and opened his eyes, gazing at the ceiling as a slight smile appeared on his lips. "Action speaks louder than words tenshi."

"Hn." She smiled and raised her head, planting a quick peck on his cheek. "You're starting to sound like me." He whispered, letting his eyelids shield his vision. She giggled and pulled the blankets over their naked and entangled bodies. "Do you mind?" she asked, also closing her eyes. "No," he replied. "Not even a bit."

Silence came afterwards until she opened her eyes halfway and tightened her hold on him. He wondered what was wrong but remained silent when she spoke up. "I don't want this night to end…" he moved a bit, positioning himself to face her and opened his eyes, gazing deep into her own. "It won't, not unless you forget it." She smiled a bit, and he returned it. He always did have a way with words, and somehow, amidst everything, she found herself wishing to take back the words that she told him back in the hospital. "I'm sorry…" she whispered. He knew what she meant, but chose to ignore it. "I told you, forget everything else."

"How can I?" she asked. "Not after I-"

"Shh…" he removed his finger from her lips and closed his eyes, pulling her close to him. "It doesn't matter. I forgive and forget, all that matters right now is you being here, right beside me. Until this night ends, it's just you and me."

"And… what about… tomorrow..?"

"Don't think about it, just forget _everything _else."

"Forget… everything…" she repeated, closing her eyes. "Aishteru…"

"Aishteru…"

"_Tomorrow…" _she thought as a teardrop rolled down her cheeks. _"Tomorrow will be the day that…" _she snuggled closer to him, afraid to let go. He blinked at her, seeing her shed tears, a sad smile on her face. His gaze softened and he tightened his hold on her. "Can you… sing me… one last song?" he gave a nod and thought of a suitable song to sing.

"Before I let you go…" he started. "I want to say I love you…" she cried some more. "I hope that you're listening 'coz it's true."

"You'll be forever in my heart and I know that no one else will do…" she sang along. "So before I let you go I want to say…"

"_I love you…"_

_**To be continued…

* * *

**_

_Next on Snapshot: Chapter 8: Drowning in your love_

"_What the-?" _she stopped halfway on the aisle and looked up. She saw where the choir of the church was supposed to be, yet in replacement, was Shikamaru, playing the keyboard, and instead of the tone of: "Here comes the bride", it was another song.

"Don't pretend you're sorry." She glanced at the soft drum beats, seeing Naruto, "I know you're not. You know you got the power, to make me weak inside." She heard the bass guitar being played and saw Neji, smirking at her as she walked closer to the front, noticing someone standing on where the groom was supposed to be. "And girl you leave me breathless, but it's okay. 'Cause you're my survival, now hear me say." Her eyes widened when she saw who it was who played the guitar and responsible for singing.

* * *

_A/N: That's already a big spoiler you know. But… this just might be a song dedication, afterwards, it's bye bye to SasuSaku romance! Haha! You'll never know until I update the final chapter of Snapshot! 'Till next time! And sorry for the crappy… limish/lemonish part. A lot of people are sendming me messages about adding lemon and to stop teasing. Whoever you people are… Oh, and the song that they both sang on the last scene is "Before I let you go" by Freestyle. I forgot to add it in the Snapshot OST list._

So...

Will they be together..?

_ Or not..?  
_


	8. Drowning in your Love

**Snapshot**

There are a lot of reasons as to why she doesn't want to get out of bed to face the day. One is she felt too comfortable on the bed. Another would be because she was still too tired and sleepy. Then maybe because today was the day that she would be married to someone she doesn't even love or barely knows. Despite their love-making session last night, she has no choice but to get up and face the decision she made. _"I guess it's over…" _she opened her eyes, expecting to see raven locks or onyx orbs staring at her, but she saw nothing but an empty space beside her.

Sighing, Sakura sat up, holding the blanket close to her body, covering her naked form as she scanned the room. The bathroom door was open but there was no one inside brushing his teeth or doing morning activities. She was alone in the room yet her eyes caught the note that was on the side table, where a necklace was on top of it to keep the paper from flying off. Blinking, she took the note and read it.

_Hey tenshi, _

_You're probably wondering where I am right now and I'm sorry that I had to leave earlier. I still have to talk to someone about something important; otherwise, I might regret missing that meeting. Before you leave the house, would you please go to the studio? Kakashi is expecting you there, so are Tsunade and Kurenai. And cheer up for today's event okay? Love you._

_Sasuke (your yami nin)_

_PS. Don't you dare give me back the necklace I bought for you._

She smiled slightly as a single tear rolled down her cheek and quickly wiped it away as it came. She took the necklace that she left him when he was still confined in the hospital and put it around her neck, looking down at the silver tag pendant. _"It's good to have this back." _She thought. _"I felt weird without it."

* * *

_

**_Chapter 8: Drowning in your love_**

"_What does he want from me right now?" _he thought, staring at the estate before him as he took off his helmet and placed it on top of his bike. His right hand felt his bandaged head and closed his eyes, recalling how he had an accident and almost died. _"I can't believe I almost committed suicide just for… that…" _he opened his eyes and got off of his motorcycle, then rang the doorbell of the Haruno estate. _"You want to talk to me huh?" _He thought, entering the compound when the gates opened. _"Good, 'cause I want to have a few words with you too, Haruno Ikichi."_

He walked inside the door and followed the maid that led him to where Ikichi was, inside the man's study room, where he sat on his chair, eyes shut tight and index and middle fingers massaging his temples. "Sir, Uchiha-san is here to see you." The maid said. Ikichi turned to the door and nodded, dismissing the girl as Sasuke entered, closing the door behind him and taking a seat when Ikichi instructed him to. "First of, how are you doing right now?"

"Fine, aside from the wound I have on my head and right arm." He answered, glancing at his bandaged arm. "I'm just thankful I'm ambidextrous."

"I see, that's already an advantage for you then." He said, leaning back on his swivel chair and looking up at the ceiling. I just want to say that I'm sorry for everything. I never knew how much you love my daughter, I'm just too overprotective of her."

"Same here sir." He said, looking down with half-closed eyes. "I too, am overprotective of her, but not in a way that I would keep her from the people she love and care for." Ikichi cringed inwardly, that Uchiha really hit a spot there. "Yes, I know that. And because of my foolishness, you almost died, and Sakura would've probably hated me more." He murmured, his tone sounding grim and depressed. "It shocked me though, when she said that she'll marry Akira, just when I was about to tell her that I'll cancel the engagement."

Sasuke smiled slightly. "True, but that's what she wants you to think." Ikichi looked up at him as their eyes met, Sasuke's looking serious and Ikichi's having confused ones. "Sakura chose the engagement, but are you familiar with the saying, easier said than done?" the older man nodded so he continued. "Last night, I was with her, and she didn't bother to leave, and just stayed there beside me. That alone made me realize what I had to do, at the same time, know that she doesn't want to marry Akira at all."

"Then, what are you planning?"

The photographer smirked. "Are you willing to help me out?"

"Of course."

"Then get my brother to drive."

* * *

She eyed herself on the full length mirror, not believing that she was wearing a wedding gown, the same style that she drew when she was still in high school. "Um…" she didn't know what to say. She was curious as to how they got her sketch and when it was done. Tsunade, as if reading her mind, smiled. "Your boyfriend dropped by yesterday, handing us the sketch and demanding our tailors to finish the dress by today." She grinned. "It's a really lovely design too Sakura, it fits you so well."

Sakura forced a smile at them and turned back to her reflection on the mirror as Kurenai fumbled with her gown. _"Yeah, I did tell him that when I get married, I want to wear my own designed gown, but that is, if it will be him who I'll marry, not Akira." _She sighed and glanced at the clock. Only three hours left before she is taken to the church. _"Why did you have to let me be picked up here? It's a farther distance going to the church."_

"Tsunade-san," the blonde faced her, raising a brow. "Did Sasuke tell you why I have to be here instead of at home where I should be preparing myself for my wedding?"

"If you didn't come here, you wouldn't be wearing the dress you want to wear on your special day." She said with a smile. "Besides, it's also one of your modeling requirements, according to Kakashi." She took a camera and adjusted the lens before taking her picture. "Since Sasuke has other business to attend to, I have to take his place." They turned to the door when it opened, in came Kiba and Kakashi. "Actually, Kiba will take his place. He owes him." Kakashi said, glancing at the boy who grinned. "Nice dress Sakura."

"Thanks." She whispered and turned back to the mirror. _"If you could see me right now, I bet you'd be telling me to smile for you." _She thought, a sad smile forming on her face. _"Right, you told me to cheer up for today." _She faced Kiba when he readied his camera and this time, she smiled a true smile. _"For you, I'll smile. For you, I'll be happy." _

"Well now, we all ought to be going now. Sakura, the car that's going to pick you up awaits you in front of the studio. Prepare for the photographers downstairs. I think _someone _had something to do with it." Kakashi said with a smile behind his mask, following the two ladies and Kiba out the door as Sakura sighed and walked out of the room as well, her veil hiding her face. _"I guess this is it…" _she thought. _"Well, not entirely…" _

Just like what Kakashi had said, flashes of the cameras blinded her as she tried to get pass the crowd with a few of the security guards' help. She went inside the car when a guard opened it for her. Once she got in, the door closed and was locked by the driver, who had his hat tilted in a way that hid his face. Sakura eyed the driver suspiciously until the car pulled away from the parking lot and headed for the direction of the church. _"Che, I was expecting any of our friends to be driving the car and taking me away from the church." _She sighed again. _"What am I thinking? This isn't a drama series, this is life, and this is reality…"

* * *

_

"Come on guys, we have to hurry setting the place up!" Naruto yelled, fixing his drum set while Shikamaru connected his keyboard to the speakers. Neji, on the other hand, was busy tuning his bass guitar. Shino did the same to Sasuke's, at the same time, connecting both guitars to the amplifiers. "Will you relax Naruto? We have more than an hour to get everything ready." Shikamaru muttered, finally done with his job. "He drives slow anyway, that's enough time to handle everything else." Sasuke added, walking towards them after securing the bandage on his arm.

"Are you sure you can play?" Shino asked, his voice sounding worried for his friend. "Yeah, this is nothing." He said, eyeing his arm and then turned to where the groom was. "I can't believe he would cooperate too." The group all looked at Akira who seemed really nervous as he paced around the church, the priest looking at him with a quirked brow while some of the guests were shaking their heads. As for the female population, you can tell that they were all eyeing the guys, eyes practically shaped like hearts.

"I can't believe that even an engaged man like myself would still attract… them." Neji muttered under his breath, causing the group to snicker. "Relax Neji, we're all in the same state as you are, except for a few…" he glanced at Shino and Sasuke who sent a warning glare at the blonde so he just laughed and waved the subject off. "Speaking of girls, where are our fiancées?" Shikamaru asked, looking for Ino. "Probably still fixing their appearance." Naruto mumbled, knowing Ino, who was very much so into fashion and looks. _"Makes me wonder how Shikamaru won her heart…" _he thought, squinting his eyes.

Sasuke took out his mobile phone, receiving a message from his mom, telling him that the place was ready for later. He replied a thanks to her and read the new message he got from his dad, informing him that the studio had taken a lot of pictures of Sakura when she left, and again, he replied his gratitude to him. Then he got another from his brother, telling him that they would arrive in probably fifty-five minutes due to a not so traffic road he drove on. _"Good enough…" _he thought, sending his reply. "Alright guys, my brother told me that they'll arrive in less than an hour, so we better finish up everything."

He walked over to Akira, trying to calm the man down. "Hey, chill will you? It's going to be fine." The husband-to-be only gave a quick nod, wiping his sweat away with his white handkerchief. "I guess this is it… I never did practice it much, but do you think I can do it?" Sasuke gave a reassuring smile to him. "Yeah, you can."

* * *

Sakura snapped her head to the driver when he inserted a CD into the player of the car. When she heard the intro of the melody, she turned to the driver with wide eyes. "H-How did you get a copy of… that..?" she asked, wondering. _"Sasuke and the guys aren't even a well-known band and they just burn their own CDs. No one has a copy of their songs besides Kakashi and some relatives and close friends…" _she heard the driver chuckle, finding it familiar.

"You finally said something Sakura."

"I-Itachi-niisan..?"

"Yep, now, any song request?" he asked, tilting his hat upwards to reveal his face. "Did you cut your hair?" she asked, gaping at his head. "No," he removed his hat, letting his ponytail flow down from above his head. "I had to hide it to not let you know my identity. Now, how about answering my question?" Sakura smiled slightly. "Number five." And he pressed the song number as it played "Forevermore".

She closed her eyes and sang, knowing the lyrics by heart. "There are times, when I just want to look at your face, with the stars in the night. There are times, when I just want to feel your embrace, in the cold night." Itachi whistled in awe. "You know the lyrics, but do you know the reason?" she looked at him, blinking as the song continued to play.

_I just can't believe that you are mine now  
You were just a dream that I once knew  
Never thought I would be there for you  
I just can't compare you with, anything in this world  
You're all I need to be with forevermore_

"What?"

_All those years  
I've long to hold you in my arms  
I've been dreaming of you  
Every night  
I've been watching all the stars that fall down  
Wishing you would be mine_

"Just listen and think."

_I just can't believe that you are mine now  
You were just a dream that I once knew  
Never thought I would be right for you  
I just can't compare you with anything in this world  
You're all I need to be with forevermore_

"Just tell me nii-san…" she whispered.

_Turn it again  
There are these changes that we cannot end  
Sure as time keeps going on and on  
My love for you will be forevermore _

"The first stanza, the one you sang, he's satisfied with just staring at you or being in your arms or vice versa. And back then, in high school, he can't believe that you were his already, thinking that you and him together is just a dream, not knowing that he was the right one for you. Anyway, the lyrics speak for themselves, in case you've noticed. And for the last line of the chorus, it's you he needs to be with, forever and ever." He sighed. "As time goes on, his love for you would still remain, and would be undying."

_As in less as forever  
Our love will stay together  
You're all I need to be with forevermore_

"I see…"

"So, I thought you said you still love my brother?"

"I do."

"Then why are you getting married to another guy?"

"He got hurt because of me, and he almost died because of me. He deserves someone else."

"But he doesn't want anyone else." Itachi retorted. "Did it ever occur to you that by leaving him, it would kill him?" Sakura shook her head and said "I talked to him about it last night." He raised a brow and smirked. "You were with him last night?" she nodded. "And did you… do 'it'?" he grinned. Sakura blushed and looked away. He took it as a yes. "I guess I'll be an uncle someday." She looked down. "How? I'm marrying Akira, he'll think it's his."

"You're pregnant already?"

"No! I mean, I don't know… it's only been a day."

"Well, if you are, you should tell Akira who the father is. I mean, the kid might get Sasuke's hair or looks or… attitude." He gave a knowing look to her which she laughed at. Yeah, it would be obvious that it was Sasuke's child when the kid will have his father's attitude and personality. "Anyway, if you were given a chance to back out of the wedding, will you?"

"Of course I will!" she almost yelled, gasping at what she said and Itachi smirked. "If you were given the option to be with my brother, will you?" again, she nodded. "I'm giving you those chances, so, will you?" Sakura clenched her fists and looked at Itachi. "Take me to where your brother is." He nodded and continued heading for the church, stopping by the foot of the stairs to the entrance. "I said take me to Sasuke, not here!" Itachi got out of the car and opened the door for her yet she refused to come out. "I did, he's inside."

Sakura, thinking what she was hoping immediately stepped out of the car and ran up the stairs, forgetting her bouquet of flowers at the process. Itachi blinked when she was about to push open the doors, yet someone grabbed her arm, stopping her from doing so. _"Well, my work here is done." _He said, heading for the other entrance of the church.

"Dad?"

Ikichi smiled at his daughter and offered her his arm. "A father should be the one walking his daughter to the aisle." He said, handing her a bouquet of her favorite flower. "Your mother is inside, and I bet you know who bought these for you." He said, looking at the fragrant blossoms in her hands. She smiled a bit. _"Sasuke no baka…" _Ikichi pushed open the door and walked her down the aisle.

"_What the-?" _she stopped halfway on the aisle and looked up. She saw where the choir of the church was supposed to be, yet in replacement, was Shikamaru, playing the keyboard, and instead of the tone of: "Here comes the bride", it was another song.

"Don't pretend you're sorry." She glanced at the soft drum beats, seeing Naruto, "I know you're not. You know you got the power, to make me weak inside." She heard the bass guitar being played and saw Neji, smirking at her as she walked closer to the front, noticing someone standing on where the groom was supposed to be. "And girl you leave me breathless, but it's okay. 'Cause you are my survival, now hear me say." Her eyes widened when she saw who it was who played the guitar and responsible for singing.

Ikichi smiled at this. "Come on." He whispered, as they continued to walk, her gaze not leaving the altar.

"I can't imagine life without your love." He continued, opening his eyes and looking directly into her own green orbs. He smiled. "And even forever, don't seem like long enough." The music intensified as he continued to sing with feelings. "'Cause every time I breathe I take you in, and my heart beats again." She felt her heart thumping. "Baby I cant help it, you keep me drowning in your love." She reached him and Ikichi left his daughter. "And every time I try to rise above, I'm swept away by love. Baby I can't help it; you keep me drowning in your love."

He stopped playing and Shino took this cue as his role to continue playing his own guitar, leaving Neji to sing the remaining lyrics of the song as Sasuke took her hand in his, bringing it up close to his lips, kissing her gloved hand. "Sasuke-kun…" she whispered his name, eyes widened and shining thanks to the lights the church provided. He smiled. "Beautiful as usual, tenshi." He let her go and walked down the small steps and towards the rest of the band who finally ended the song. _"H-huh..?" _she thought, seeing Akira take his place, a smile on his lips. _"Wait… I thought…" _her eyes were stinging since she stopped her tears from flowing. _"…Sasuke would…" _she was disappointed. _"Then, it's really over."_

"Are you sure you won't regret this teme?" Naruto asked, having his hands behind his head as he looked at his best friend who crossed his arms, eyeing the two that stood before the presence of everyone. "Aa." His eyes didn't leave Sakura and just continued to stare at her. _"Don't cry on me tenshi, just don't." _Akira took her free hand and looked down, a smile on his face. "Before this ceremony starts, I'd like to say a few words." The priest nodded, knowing what was going to happen. "I'd like to thank you, Sakura, for giving me a chance. I know you don't really love me the way you feel towards Sasuke. But still, thank you for trying, thank you for choosing me, even if you really wanted him."

"_Please stop it…" _she thought, fighting the urge to cry. _"Just… stop speaking…"_

"So, I guess, this is it." He said, taking a deep breathe in and letting it all out at once. Sakura raised her head to voice out her thoughts but Akira beat her to speaking. "Bye then." He said and let her hand go, stepping down from his place and heading towards where her friends are. She blinked in confusion, looking over her shoulder to see what was going on. "You win Uchiha." he told the photographer who shook his head and gave a small smile. "Thanks…" Akira nodded and went to a vacant seat beside a guest, watching as Sasuke casually walked to where Sakura was.

"What's going-"

"Your father and I talked. He was supposed to let you go, but you told him you'd marry Akira, so he had to speak with me about it, knowing that you won't be happy. Everything was planned from the beginning Sak, From the date you had with Akira last night to his goodbye speech."

"S-Sasuke…"

He glanced at Neji from the corner of his eyes and the Hyuuga nodded, cuing the guys to play a song. Sakura blinked when she heard "First Love" playing, minus the vocals. "My brother asked you this, if given a chance to be with me, would you take it?" she gave a nod and he continued, startling her when he knelt down in front of her, holding her hand. "Will you marry me today then?" he smiled at her, and she let her tears flow, hearing the crowd produce "awww" sounds. "H-hai…" she whispered. Sasuke smirked. "I didn't hear you hime-sama."

Sakura looked at him and smiled. "Yes, I will." And he got up, lifting her veil and wiping her tears away. "Glad to hear it." He whispered. She immediately wrapped her arms around him and kissed him on the lips. The priest blinked and chuckled none the less. "I now pronounce you man and wife then." The two broke away and laughed when the crowd cheered. The loudest obviously coming from Naruto who began to play the drums wildly. "Come on and sing Sunday!"

(If you have the song Sunday from Yakitate! Japan, play it and picture/imagine some scenes you'd want to happen before continuing to read)

* * *

She was surprised to say in the least and most, that her mother-in-law, Mikoto, actually had one of her husband's newly bought estates as the reception. Their friends were still playing their music, even when they cut the cake, drank the wine or threw the bouquet to the crowd of girls, having Hinata catch hers, and with Naruto, fighting to catch the garter. It was the kind of celebration that she wanted and pictured, and for her, it was a picture perfect, even if it wasn't taken by a camera.

It was growing darker, but everyone was still dancing, drinking, eating and talking. Among them were Fugaku and Ikichi, who happened to be colleagues back in college. "It's no wonder the name 'Uchiha' rings a bell." The Haruno patriarch said, taking a sip from his wine glass. Fugaku laughed a bit. "If you knew, would you still have Sakura be with my son?" Ikichi eyed the newly wed couple, seeing his daughter laughing with her husband and their friends. "I would've let them be if Sakura told me his family background." Fugaku shook his head. "Sasuke didn't want you to accept him from where he comes from but for who is. When I heard of his girlfriend's father not accepting him, I told him to tell you that he was my son, but he refused. You see, his goals back then were to make you accept him for who he truly is, that his feelings are true and sincere towards Sakura, and that not everything revolves around riches and fame."

Ikichi nodded and smiled. "And for that, he even went too far to having his life on the line." He turned back to his old friend and smiled. "You have a great son Fugaku." The Uchiha nodded and smiled as well. "So is your daughter."

* * *

She stretched her arms and sighed, leaning against the wide railing made of marble, gazing at the view before her. The grass was green and shimmered under the moonlight. A bed of flowers were added for decoration as well, and a pond was there, where she saw an orange carp jump from it and back into the water. She smiled and felt the evening breeze fan her face, blowing her long pink hair. This place was her new home, and also a gift to her and Sasuke from his parents. _"I can't believe that this is happening." _She thought, closing her eyes as the wind continued to blow. "Shouldn't you be resting tenshi?" she felt a white sheet wrap her, including the arms she would always love to run into.

"Nah." She said, looking up at her husband and grinning. "Shouldn't you?" she asked back. Though the celebration ended earlier, they were still in their wedding clothes, only Sakura didn't have her veil, or her gloves. Her pearl earrings were discarded earlier, but the necklace he gave her remained. Her hair was now flowing freely behind her back, down to her waist as she leaned back into his arms. He, on the other hand, didn't have his black overcoat on. "Don't need to." He whispered, looking down to meet her gaze. "Are you sure?" she asked. He thought for a while before smiling at her. "I will if you will." Sakura giggled and gave a nod as they both walked back inside, heading to their room.

He felt one of her hands pull his black tie, making him turn to look at her as she smirked. "I don't think this night is quite over just yet." Sasuke blinked and found himself lying on his back on the bed, his wife over him and kissing him on the lips. She pulled away and still had a smirk on, causing him to blink. "Caught you yami nin." She teased. It was his turn to smirk when she squeaked after he flipped her over, causing her to take his place. "Back at 'ya." And he leaned down to her neck. She let her hands wander below his white long-sleeved polo, then pulled her hands back and undid his tie. Her eyes caught something sticking out of his polo's pocket, and she pushed him away a bit, asking him what it was.

"This?" he asked, taking it out and smirking when he saw what it was. "Just you."

"Huh?" he smiled and continued eyeing it. It was a picture of her during the night she wore a kimono and walked down the stage holding a Japanese umbrella. She had a serene smile on her face, and she looked really beautiful in the photo. "Yeah," he replied. "A snapshot of you."

_**The End

* * *

**_

_A/N: Whee! I finished it! And yes, this is exactly how short the ending is and was supposed to be. I'd have to thank Uchiharu Sakhara for the suggestion of Itachi driving Sakura to the church and Sasuke being the groom instead of Akira. I just added the singing and Akira's speech thing to have you thinking that it won't be a SasuSaku ending. Please let me know if you thought it wouldn't be Sasuke and Sakura. I need to know how many readers I've tricked. Hehe. So, now it's Yakuza II that's left! Also, I'm thinking if I should go for "The Truth is" or "Neko Sasuke" first. Care to help? _

"_**Neko Sasuke"**_

-Uchiha Sasuke, an ANBU captain in the age of eighteen, went on a solo A-rank mission to hunt and assassinate S-class nukenin Uchiha Itachi. During his mission, he is unexpectedly harmed in a way no one else can imagine… he was turned into a half-cat in the body of his eight year old self. Frustrated at the situation, Tsunade assigns the cat-minded Sasuke into the care of seventeen year old jounin, Haruno Sakura, until a cure is made or discovered.

Living under one roof with your former teammate and childhood crush is kind of awkward; especially since the usually anti-social and claustrophobic Uchiha snuggles too much at night and always demands her full undivided attention. Not to mention that she can't speak cat language. Sakura faces the life of being a pet owner, at the same time, develop deeper feelings towards Sasuke when the neko version of him just seems to be so adorably cute, not knowing that it is a clue to turning him back to human.

The question is… will he?

"_**The Truth is" **_

-The Akatsuki took Sasuke from Oto and knocked some sense into him, causing the young Uchiha to wallow in self-pity and regret. However, his brother appears to be someone he never expected him to be after the Uchiha massacre and finds himself going back to Konoha and trying to force Tsunade that the Akatsuki aren't exactly bad guys but the exact opposite. Setting that aside, he finds Sakura and tells her the truth of his feelings towards her and asks if she still feels the same way, glad that she was still in love with him. But when he asks her to be his girlfriend, he didn't expect her answer to be "It's too late…"

Apparently, she is engaged to his best friend, thus, leading him to go back to his loner mode, having caught a depressed Hinata's attention. He blurts everything to her, finding no one to confide to but her, and in turn, she tells him the reason of her sudden avoidance of almost everyone, including a certain kyuubi vessel. Things get out of hand when Naruto finds out about the two's confession to each other, and this leads to Sasuke getting mad at Naruto for kissing Hinata when he was already engaged.

To make things worse, Sakura is assigned to go with Sasuke on a mission, having the two absent for Naruto's birthday. Hinata, being the only one available, spends the day with him and they talk, eventually, leading to something, while the other two who were out on a mission, can't seem to help the fact that their feelings and rampaging hormones are starting to act up once more. So, what exactly is the truth?


End file.
